by Maria McLaughlin

When students today are enrolling in colleges and universities across the United States the costs as well as the funding is much different than it was a few decades ago. It is interesting to note that 48 out of 50 states are spending less money to finance student educations than they were prior to the ‘Great Recession.’ This means that only 2 out of 50 states are spending the same or more money on financing student educations. Many states are even continuing the trend of reducing funding, which seems to be a problem for students who are collecting boatloads of debt as they continue through college.

States contribute greater than 50% of the financial support that public institutions need. The reduction in public educational spending has detrimental effects directly on the students of these universities. This results in the increase of tuition and decrease in educational services. It was reported in CBPP that since the 2007-2008 academic year, tuition has risen on average 28% (~$1,936 inflation adjusted). Some states have increased by double that rate, and upwards of 80% increases. These factors don’t even represent the increases in tuition for private colleges and universities.

Higher amounts of tuition are spiraling students into debt by the second. This is alarming also because there are high levels of interest that can accompany a student’s finances, depending on the lender. It is disappointing to note that states are continuing to reduce funding for students, and it is a serious issue to be loading on debt to our nation’s future.

Reference: “States are Still Cutting Funding for Higher Education.” 1 May 2014. Huffington Post