Equal Access to Higher Education

Ashley Cirillo
Persuasive Writing sec002
October 30, 2008
Final Paper First Draft


As American citizens, we should have equal access to higher education that is affordable. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, higher education is defined as any education beyond the secondary level of high school education, particularly when provided through a university or college. It is said that the more educated a person is, the happier they are. This is most likely due to an increase in their standards of living through better job opportunities from the education received. With a declining economy, increasing tuition, and tempting credit cards, it is hard for students not to fall deep into debt. These days, students are graduating college with not only a degree, but also substantial amount of debt. With a declining economy, increasing tuition, and tempting credit cards, it is hard for students not to fall deep into debt. Higher education is almost a requirement to living at least comfortably in today’s society. Now, not even an associates or bachelors degree is enough; one must obtain a masters or doctorates degree for certain careers in order to be successful. However, tuition prices and fees are rapidly increasing. Many people cannot afford college, and many students are forced to take out high interest loans to pay for school. So why is tuition continually rising and where is all that money going?
Tuition is rising for several reasons. “Funding Roller Coaster for Higher Education” written by Michael S. McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro explains that because of changes in the economy, public universities and colleges have had rough financial times; the way they make up for this lack of support from the government is by raising tuition. McPherson and Schapiro argue that public colleges and state-government budgets need to be sheltered from the “business-cycle” by changing tax systems, developing programs that would help education budgets in economic downtimes, or influence public universities to save some funds during good economic times to have for what the future may bring. McPherson and Schapiro believe state governments need to view higher education as a priority and spend budgets accordingly.
On the other hand, Lynne Munson argues in “College Tuitions Rise While Endowments Simply Swell” how although colleges and universities are “the nation’s wealthiest institutions” and their endowments only keep increasing. Munson exclaims that universities and colleges are not helping students attend school with this extra money they have in their endowments. For a better understanding of just how much college tuitions have gone up on average she explains that today gas would cost $9.15 a gallon and a gallon of milk would cost $15 if those prices had increased at the same rate as college tuition has since 1980. Munson states that the Senate Finance Committee was discussing making colleges less costly by tapping higher education endowments. She mentions that endowment spending could save students a lot of money, and notes: “The Congressional Research Service found that a mere 0.7% payout could halt tuition increases at the 20 schools with the largest endowments.”
As tuition is rising, the students are forced to take out loans not only to pay for school, but also for tuition fees, books, housing, food, and social activities. If they run out of loan money, some students are forced to put the balances on high-interest credit cards. Additionally, Ron Lieber explains in “Counseling Students on Loans,” that students who do not borrow enough money often work long hours to make up for the difference. However, that can sometimes result in being too stressful for a student, so they drop out and are left without an education and in debt.
With this in mind, students need to be aware of just how much college will actually cost after factoring in the extras besides tuition. Parents and students should become aware of how to properly take out loans in order to prevent unnecessary debt. Lieber tells us in the late 1980’s the government started to require counseling from universities to students who were taking out loans for the first time. Lieber argues that these counseling sessions should be more intense to really make students grasp how to be responsible with loans. He states that parents should get involved so they also understand the process. He advises students to check their debt often so that they are aware of how much they owe. Lieber tells students to get to know someone in the financial aid office—someone who can answer all your questions. He states that a student should not take out too large of a loan, but just enough. Finally, Lieber advises students to be careful with private loans because of high, unfixed interest rates.
Affordable tuition is something that not many people are opposed to, unless you are on the money-making side of the business. However, there are a few down falls to lowering college tuitions. If tuition costs were cut down, it would result in an obvious assumption of lower quality of education. This means there might be less faculty, larger class sizes, and a decreased amount of offered courses. Moreover, the amount of time it takes to earn a degree might increase. Nevertheless, if these rebuttals are seemly true, at least everyone would have the opportunity to receive higher education. Even though the class size may be larger or it takes more time to complete a degree, at least it is better than not being able to afford an education at all. Smaller classes do create a better learning environment, but if people feel the need to be in smaller classes, maybe a private university would better suite their needs.
If tuition continues to rise, there will only be two options: only the rich will be able to afford higher education or come out of school only to be buried with debt. The average citizen deserves to have access to an affordable education; however, rising tuition is keeping this from being true. A shriveling economy along with greedy colleges with large endowments is keeping students from getting the funds they need to afford school. In addition, high-interest loans are leaving students with a hefty amount of debt. It is important that students are aware of all the underlying costs of college, as well as understanding how to accurately use student loans. Higher education can lead to a successful career and fulfilling life, which should not be a dream or even a privilege that is held hostage because of financial situations, but rather a right to which every American citizen is worthy of.


Works Cited

Lieber, Ron. "Counseling Students On Loans." New York Times, The (NY) September 6, 2008, Late Edition - Final, Business/Financial Desk: 1. NewsBank Access World News. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/.

McPherson, Michael S., and Morton Owen Schapiro. "Funding Roller Coaster for Public Higher Education." Science 302.5648 (14 Nov. 2003): 1157-1157. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. https://libproxy.temple.edu:2343/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=11546986&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 2008. Accessed 26 October 2008. <www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary>.

Munson, Lynne. "College tuitions rise while endowments simply swell." USA Today (n.d.). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Temple University, Phildelphia, PA. 22 Oct. 2008. https://libproxy.temple.edu:2343/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=J0E342114616907&site=ehost-live&scope=site.