India Garner
Lloyd Willis
English 102
18 July, 2015
Rising Cost of A College Education

The cost of a college education has caused many discussions and arguments in the last few years. All the attention that has been put on this issue and concern has helped individuals understand why the cost of education has increased so dramatically in a short time. From 2001 to 2012, the tuition and fees at colleges and universities, has increased 5.6 percent above what the inflation rate is. A college education was not at the top of everyone’s priority list in previous years, but now with so many jobs requiring an education, more people are seeking an education to obtain a decent, good paying job. A college education is continually rising on a day to day basis and there are many reasons that contribute to this rise. To really understand how and why education has become so expensive requires some research on the history of the rise.
The first issue causing the rise of tuition is mainly due to colleges needing more money to make upgrades to the institutions and also keeping the most up-to-date technology. Along side of this issue for colleges, there are many other reasons the tuition has risen so greatly. According to The Progressive, states are experiencing tax cuts therefore causing leaders to reduce the funds allotted for higher education. The after effect of this reduction causes colleges to react by increasing tuition, reducing financial assistant and adding fees for students(Reed, 2004). Also in the words of Sandy Baum, “It’s not that colleges are spending more money to educate students, it’s that they have to get money from some place to replace their lost state funding-and that’s from tuition and fees from students and families.”(Campos, NY Times). This writer states, “One of the most important factors driving the price at colleges and universities has been the decline in state support for higher education.” (Belkin, WSJ). Each one of these individual’s statements tell the many reasons why college tuition has been and is on the rise.
There are other sources available that could help colleges pay for their technology needs as well as upgrades other than by the tuition cost. At the present time the tuition rate is so high at institutions that they should not have to make an increase in the near future and still have plenty of money for the upkeep and advancements. As sad as it is for students and families, college tuition and fees have literally doubled in the past decade to 30 years. One post stated, “According to data from the Labor Department, the price index for college tuition grew by nearly 80 percent between August 2003 and August 2013.” (Kurtzleben, US News). Unfortunate for students wanting to attend college, they have to resort to desperate measures to make it possible, such as take out high interest loans or have parents foot the bill. Another source of research showed that, “The cost of a college degree in the United States has increased ‘12 fold’ over the past 30 years, far outpacing the price inflation of consumer goods, medical expenses and food.” (Huff Post, 2015). These figures are a major increase for the amount of passing time. If the tuition costs continues to rise at this rate, it will be too high for the average person to afford an education and will be paying more for college than what states will offer. The statistics below were retrieved from the National Center for Education Statistics website in regards to the amount of increases. For a public four-year institution in 1982-83 it cost about $10,385, and in 2012-13 it costs $23,872. For a public two-year institution in 1982-83 it cost about $6,396, and in 2012-13 it costs $9,574. A private four-year university in 1982-83 was about $16,797, and in 2012-13 it costs $35,074. For a private two-year university in 1982-83 the costs was about $12,644, and in 2012-13 it costs $23,328. (NCES, 2015). These tuition isn’t the only costs