Author: csccubed

by

Higher Education: On A Crash Course For Reinvention

by Ameer Sorrell

As parents begin to prepare children for college they start to worry about how much it is going to cost. Another problem they encounter is where their child will attend an affordable school. Colleges and Universities are becoming more aware of how high their sticker price is. Congress could help by making some policy changes.  An article in the Huffington Post states that if institutions were responsible for 25% of the student loans received by their students.  If this were to happen, three things would have to be addressed. The selectivity of students trying to attend college, students leaving college unprepared for what life is really about, and parents not taking advantage of the opportunities to lower cost as much as possible through internet sources. If you think about it, its not possible because that means we would have to start from the beginning and force people to want to make changes socially and culturally as well as using the sources given to us. Parents have to be involved in wanting to lower the cost of college. College gives young people hope to want to be something in life, but if we as adults don’t focus and stay committed to trying to get youth into school at lower prices then this problem will always be a debate. College costs are only going to get worse unless we put forth the effort to make a difference.

by

College Costs for Middle Income Students

by Christopher Howard

Richard Perez-Pena of the NY Times writes that the average private college student pays about 57 percent of the sticker price. Additionally, colleges with the higher sticker price are the ones that tend to give out the most financial aid. These facts particularly affect people who have somewhat above average incomes. These people do not qualify for need-based aid and are not able to pay out of pocket either. They are in the middle pack and are the ones that are really being affected by college tuition costs. According to Perez-Pena, a federal government study stated that families in the second highest quartile in earnings had a net cost percentage rise by eight percent since 2004, which is more than the people in the first quartile. This is disconcerting news for parents and students that fall into that middle quartile. They are the ones taking in the brunt of the debt and it is going to be hard for them to pay off all of their future loans. This not only affects them but their children and grandchildren causing a domino effect.

by

College Costs Out of Control

by Emily Bonney

In an article from Forbes Magazine, contributor Steve Odland provides some cold, hard numbers concerning the rising costs of college. Odland reminds readers that a there is a correlation between the amount of education a person has received and their average income. People without any college education earn almost $18,000 a year less than the US average wage, and less than half of what someone with a four year degree makes. While it is said that everyone has the same opportunities to receive this education, it is obviously not the case. Only 17% of the US population has earned an undergraduate degree, but the costs of college may change this in the future. Accounting for inflation, Odland states that while the consumer price index has risen 115%, but college education inflation rate has risen nearly 500% since 1985. Even with government aid, private funding, and scholarships, many students in today’s education system still have to take out loans which accrue interest. Odland attributes this rise in costs to the tenure policies, and the rise in spending on administration for the institutions rather than on professors or other capital expansions that would benefit the colleges.

by

The Burden of Higher Education

by Carly Wray

Today, one out of four students with loans cannot afford to pay them back. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, about 25% of graduates are in default with their college loans. The issue with these loans is there is no guarantee for financial prosperity and a way to pay for them out of college. Higher education does not have the same value as it once did in the economic world. The job market is weak and the average student owes more than their annual income straight out of college with an entry level position. However, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce states that a bachelor’s degree pay is higher than a high school graduate’s by 84 percent. In this case, the price of college needs to be reasonable and it is not.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/jim-gallagher/student-borrowers-are-going-broke/article_0d4a7c36-72e4-5f2a-9bcb-353f8614fbd5.html

by

College or Retirement?

by Mike Acciavatti

A recent article in U.S. News contained some disconcerting news:  college costs cause some people to choose retirement over an education for their children. The main problem is that parents do not want their children to be saddled with debut upon graduation due to the rising costs of higher education.  The article stipulates however that no matter how appealing a suggestion this may be parents SHOULD NOT risk their retirement future on college for their children.

The author states that the best strategy for dealing with college costs is to start saving early in a child’s life. The author states that simply putting the money away in a savings account is not necessarily the best option because it does not earn interest, causing it to not keep pace with rising inflation and rising costs of college.  Rather, the best way to save is to look at your state’s and school’s 529 or other savings plans.  By taking advantage of these programs the cost of college can be considerably less intimidating.

Every parent wants to give their child the best, and some would risk their own well being in retirement to ensure that. However, saving and investing, combined with scholarship and merit based financial aid, will ensure that both parents and children will have a safe financial future.

by

College Cost: A Universal Issue

by Patrick Lamarra

For those of you that enjoy the musical stylings in Les Miserables as much as I do, there is quote sung by Enjolras during the revolution that can help to inspire hope into our noble cause of lowering the college cost for Middle Income Families.  In the hope to inspire his men, Enjolras sings “We are not alone, the people too most rise.”  This quote can serve in a way to reflect what must be done by college students in regards to college cost.  CSCubed is not the only group that wants to challenge the rising college cost in America.  Students from Babson College, Emmanuel College, Merrimack College, and Newbury College all went to the Massachusetts’ State House the other day in order to lobby for more funding towards the ever growing college cost.  Students there were lobbying for $9 to $10 million to be added on to the state’s financial aid budget.  This stand by the students in Massachusetts offers a similar situation done by the students involved with CSCubed.  The push towards helping Middle Income families afford college is ever evident in modern day America.  If college students can band together and lobby for reforms in the area, much can be done about college cost.  But, the people most join together.  To learn more about the Massachusetts’ student led lobbying efforts click on the link below.

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_25222858/students-appeal-help-college-costs?source=rss

by

Rise in Higher Education Costs Outpace Other Expenditures

by Philip Wubbolt

Higher education costs have been rising for years and compared to how the prices of other goods have risen, there is a significant difference in how much those prices had risen.  From 1985 until now, the costs for higher education had risen in excess of 500%.  Compared to other goods and services, this is absolutely significant.  Medical costs have risen in excess of 280% and 120% in the consumer price index.  This rise in higher education costs, further exacerbates the problem of the inequality and income gaps.  If a family is unable to pay for college, this can inhibit that child’s ability to further his education and have a higher paying job.  This then has a compounding effect  on further and later generations.  There are efforts from politicians to lower or slow the rising costs for education, however these efforts have not made much of a difference.  The question now is, are students and kids getting what they paid for?  Are the jobs kids are receiving after college, making up for the significant prices?

See: College Costs Surge 500% in U.S. Since 1985: Chart of the Day

by

Ready to Succeed Scholarships in PA

Increasing grants to middle income families has  been the primary legislative priority of CSCubed over the last two years. We have supported the Middle Income Student Debt Reduction Act that would dedicate $36 million a year to create a new PHEAA program for middle class families.

We’re pleased to also support Governor Corbett’s Ready to Succeed Scholarships that fund a similar program, albeit with less money – $25 million per year.

Please take the time to find your legislator and ask them to support more funding for middle income college grants!

by

We Want Your Money, Not Your Credits

by Samantha Decapua     

   It is very common in this day and age for prospective students to attain credits before going to college. Whether it is credits earned through Advanced Placement (AP) classes, early college programs, studying abroad, or courses students took at the university before fully enrolling, students find some way to get a solid head start. Students also have the opportunity to take courses at other institutions during their years at their university. There is nothing wrong with students taking advantage of all of the opportunities they have open to them right? I mean, colleges and universities grant their students this freedom for a purpose, because it is beneficial for both the student and the schools. However, the University of Connecticut doesn’t seem to think the same thing.

            According to an article by Paul Fain, UConn has caused much controversy in the community with their new proposal. Their proposal calls for a limit of the number of credits its traditional, non-transfer students can earn at other institutions while enrolled at UConn. This pitch received harsh critique from community colleges and state lawmakers almost immediately. You can understand why this caused such commotion once you hear the rationale behind this plan.

            The university’s vice provost of academic affairs, Sally Reis, explains how “data trends suggest that if [students] take a prerequisite at a community college, they often fail the subsequent course they take at UConn.” But here is the kicker, she expounds upon that by saying “our students are taking easier and cheaper classes elsewhere.” It is clear that this university just wants to collect the money that their own students are investing at institutions elsewhere. Reis said it herself when complaining about the “loophole” students found and are taking advantage of in order to save money on their education. All in all, the University of Connecticut should not hinder their students from being frugal and wise about where they are investing their money. They are clearly only concerned about the money…not the student.

by

Other Companies Paying for our Tuition

    by Nathan Nodolski

Large online companies such as Google, Facebook, and others are free to use, but they make millions to billions of dollars yearly. How do they do this? The main source of income on these sites are the advertisements. Companies pay to make their ad be seen on the side of Facebook or show up first in the Ad section in Google. Therefore, it is a win-win situation for the company that the ad is for and the online site, because the site gets money and hits, and the company’s product or site gets publicity. The more hits your site gets, the more the companies will pay to advertise on your site.

In the article “Ads Instead of Tuition”, an idea is proposed to use this model for colleges. Therefore, companies will work together to advertise their products at the college in exchange for lower tuition rates; kind of like sponsorship. The example given in the article is laptop companies could give out and advertise their laptops.

Another thing that colleges and companies could mutually benefit from this is for recruiting. By working throughout the years with the colleges, the companies can scope out prospective employees for the future while the colleges keep them updated. These company entwinement could also help the college with recruiting, because it will have a solid networking base for the students.

 

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/21/president-private-college-argentina-has-unusual-idea-finance-higher-education