Aug. 29, 2018

Page 1

SINGLE ISSUE FREE

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1885

SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

d Stu

e

b e D nt

t

Continued to A9

uc ce lS na at io

graduating college according to LendEDU. SDSU currently ranks under this statistic, with an average of about $25,985 according to the Office of Financial Aid last year. But this is an increase of about $2,800 from four years ago. Carolyn Halgerson, the director of the Financial Aid office, attributes the problem with rising student debt to a decrease in financial aid and government funding for higher education.

“I was at the point where the degree i wanted just didn’t outweigh the cost financially uc

T

he road to a four-year degree is becoming too costly for some South Dakota students. South Dakota typically ranks as one of the worst states for college student loan debt, with a recent LendEDU study putting the state at number 44 in the nation. More than half of all U.S. college students do not feel that the value of an education has kept up with the rising cost according to a recent poll from Ascent Student Loans. Former South Dakota State student Sam Johnson said he feels this way too. Johnson withdrew from classes at SDSU last fall, a few weeks into his sophomore year. He was a secondary special education major, studying to “give a higher quality of life for younger kids. “I was at

the point where the degree I wanted just didn’t outweigh the cost financially,” Johnson said. “It’s a great degree, and I’m not knocking anyone that’s going for it, but it’s hard to climb out of debt like that when you’re only making $29,000 to $32,000 a year right out of college.” Since leaving SDSU, Johnson has been working full-time at Combined Pool and Spa in Sioux Falls. He said he is still paying off a student loan from his freshman year, but now plans on attending Southeast Technical Institute for a twoyear degree in marketing. The average South Dakota college student accumulates an average of $31,332 of debt after

Ed

IAN LACK Senior News Reporter

ss

Students question four-year degree as loan debt rises

Sam Johnson


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.