The burden of student debt and educational expenses have become overwhelming in the past few years. With inflation constantly increasing, our dollars have less meaning and power in the economy. This means that combined with tuition growing and our money holding less weight, college has become unreasonably overpriced. So, what are the main reasons for these costs, and are they even worth paying?

Image Credits: Pedbsktbll from Wikimedia Commons

How much has the cost of tuition actually risen?

According to the Education Data Initiative, college tuition averaged a 3.63% increase from 2010-2011 to 2022-2023. When put into real world context, Arizona State University (ASU), is the most commonly attended University in the United States with an average cost of $13,161 per year. When calculated, 3.63% of that is approximately $477. Based on this, low-income families are expected to pay almost $1000 more to the institution every 2 years.

Additionally, when looking at the long term changes, the cost of 4-year public universities have gone up by 36.7% from 2010-2023. That's almost half of the original tuition, and doesn't take into account housing, books, and other miscellaneous expenses. Many children, myself included, are having the tough conversations about which college is actually attainable based on finances. I, for one, am grateful to be having that discussion, knowing that because of these rising costs, some of my fellow schoolmates may not be able to afford college at all, which is ridiculous, because every single child deserves to have access to higher education.

Take the Quiz: Choose Your Daily Aesthetic and We'll Reveal Which Movie Icon You Should Be This Halloween!

Your daily aesthetic can reveal more about you than you might think! Take this quiz to discover which movie star matches your unique vibe.

Marketing

Something people don't think about is the marketing aspect of universities. Colleges compete with each other by attempting to outdo the other by improving their national and global ranks. This means hiring elite faculty, preferably ones with an incredible background.

That costs money, and doesn't include the staff they have to hire for social media and outreach to prospective students. Additionally, they must upgrade their athletic and academic programs in order to create enthusiasm surrounding the school.

Considering those upgrades, many universities have differently named "colleges", within their campus. They all serve different purposes and house different majors and/or minors. For example, many have a "College of Communications", 0r "School of Arts".

These boost a university ranking by a lot, because students who want to major in a specific subject will all be competing to go there. Adding these programs to a school cost money, and revenue is needed to pay for that; therefore colleges raise their prices to pay for what they deem a "better" education.

Image Credits: Janreagan from Wikimedia Commons

Student Housing and Experience

The student experience is a vital aspect of college life. Getting to live on or off campus, with friends, and the time you finally live in your own apartment. Then there's football games, events, and networking. These all cost money, and schools are going to charge more than the average base pay to give students the "best" experience.

Based upon the Education Data Initiative, students pay on average $12,986 in on campus housing costs per year, and $52,700 for all four years. Adding this onto the cost of tuition for the university discussed above, ASU, this comes together for a total of $26,147. Along with this, many colleges have a "student experience" fee, ranging from about $80-$400, based on my research. This goes towards Residential Life and Student Life, to help plan events and activities.

Like I stated in the previous section, colleges invest in programs and facilities to make themselves look more competitive. This also plays into the student engagement aspect, as clubs, concerts, and sports are held there. Many school groups hold different kinds of projects on campus, like bake sales, car washes, and trivia nights. Students who live off campus have additional expenses, such as rent, which can increase their spending.

How to Make College Cheaper

There are an extensive amount of things you can do to make college cheaper. First is applying for scholarships. Apply often, and not just to the ones with a ton of money; those are much more likely to have thousands of applicants, therefore giving you less of a chance to win.

If a four year college isn't something in your financial means, consider going to a 2 year community college, and then transferring to a 4 year. Community college is commonly tuition free, if not a significantly lower cost. This way, you can save up while getting the credits you need to graduate.

A tactic that's being used more and more is filling out the FAFSA form. This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Depending on your answers, they can offer you grants and student loans to help pay for college.

Note that student loans must be repaid, while grants do not. Buying used textbooks and supplies is also a commonly used strategy to save money. Textbooks can cost as much as $400, so saving in this area is important.

Something not talked about as often is being a Residential Assistant (RA), for your dormitory. This means you can get either discounted or free housing. Additionally, you may be provided with a stipend, so you're saving while also making money. However, this job isn't for everyone, and it's important to look into it before you apply.

Image Credits: US Federal Government from Wikimedia Commons

Is It Even Worth It?

In my personal opinion, education, while being important and essential for everyone; is a privilege. Taking advantage of that privilege and doing something with it is key to success. While college may cost a lot, it also teaches not only major subjects, but crucial social skills that stay with you for life. It's a chance to find who you are, what you want to do, and what kind of a change you want to make in this world.

Pursuing higher education is a choice that everyone should have, and one that if they choose to take it, should do something about it. So yes, I think that while student debt and inflation are a very real and frustrating thing, it will all be worth it in the end.

Image Credits: King of Hearts from Wikimedia Commons