American education has catching up to do in many fields — cost is a significant one. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in 2014, “all students should have the opportunity to achieve … and thrive in whatever career or college they pursue. We owe 100 percent of our students that chance.”
Students may have difficulty believing that chance exists, given average tuition costs. As of 2013, the average undergraduate in Utah had just under $22,500 in debt. Granted, Utah is still well below the national student debt average of $33,000. These averages emphasize the rise of U.S. tuition since 1978: a whopping 1,122 percent increase.
But lowering tuition rates — or making tuition free, as it is in other countries — is a difficult process. Schools and programs are expensive to run. In most cases, schools are funded in part by government subsidies. Still, for American universities, the math doesn’t quite add up.
The U.S. government spends around $107.4 billion on student loans per year, and $69 billion is spent subsidizing college education. But all public university tuition costs only add up to about $62.6 billion annually.
President Obama’s optimistic America’s College Promise program is a step in the right direction, even if it leaves many questions unanswered. In his State of the Union address earlier this year, the president explained his goal to make two years of community college free for any student enrolled at least half-time while maintaining a 2.5 grade-point average.
However, critics of the program point out that this program still won’t give community colleges the necessary resources to retain students or help them graduate on time. As it is, only about 31 percent of first-time students at community colleges actually finish within three years.
Community college tuition is also not nearly as big a deal as university tuition. Many students already attend community college for free or at affordable levels, thanks to state subsidies and federal aid.
Newsweek and the New York Times are pessimistic that Obama’s program has any chance of getting through the Republican-led Congress anyway, largely because of its price tag.
Nevertheless, the president maintains that his program is a way to help the American middle class recovery; currently, the middle class suffers the most because of college costs. Middle class students come from families that often don’t qualify for government scholarships and must resort to student loans.
Despite its shortcomings, Obama’s program is a benefit in theory because it means affordable higher education is an agenda topic for the foreseeable future. It has already sparked discussion from several legislators and popular media.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, recently spoke in Iowa and argued for a 50 percent reduction in tuition at public universities and colleges. Michigan’s Gov. Scott Walker is advocating for an extension of the University of Wisconsin’s current tuition freeze.
The New York Times has weighed in with its idea for how to combat exorbitant college costs: tuition deferment. This would allow students to pay back loans over the course of 20 years at much lower interest rates than what presently plague student loans.
The ongoing discussions on the topic should prove beneficial; we hope Congress, the president and local education leaders continue trying out ideas to find a long-term solution to what has been a long-term burden.