The Majority of Americans Believe Inflated Costs Have Led College Astray

By Joe Thompson 
Stonehill News Blog Staff

          
            A recent study from 2018 done by the Pew Research Center titled "Most Americans say higher ed is heading in the wrong direction, but partisans disagree on why" explores the reasons why Americans are divided on the issue of higher education.  

            Anna Brown conducted the study and it shows that while there are various reasons why Americans feel higher education has fallen, one area of agreement lies in the rise of college tuition.  

            Seventy-seven percent of Republicans and 92% of Democrats cite the rise of tuition as one reason higher education is moving in the wrong direction. Eighty-four percent of the American adults surveyed are concerned with rising tuition.  

            Outside of the rising cost of college, there is a larger divide among Democrats and Republicans as to why they believe higher education has run amok. 

            Other reasons include students not getting the skills they need to perform in the workplace, too much concern over protecting students from potentially offensive views, and professors bringing their own political and social views into the classroom. 

            Seventy-nine percent of Republicans and 17% of Democrats believe professors integrating political views in the classroom has contributed to the downfall of higher education. Additionally, 75% of Republicans and 31% of Democrats are concerned with students being protected from views they may find offensive. 

            There is agreement among Republicans and Democrats on allowing free speech even if it may be distasteful. Ninety-one percent of Republicans and 86% of Democrats think it is more important to allow people to speak freely than to prevent students from being exposed to potentially offensive ideas. 

            There is also a generational gap among Republicans who feel higher education has regressed. Ninety-six percent of Republicans over 65 are concerned with professors bringing political views in the classroom compared to 58% of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 34.    

            Overall, Republicans between the ages of 18 and 34 are less concerned with the direction of higher education than older generations. However, the majority of young Republicans still believe higher education is on the decline. 

            Amanda Janice Roberson, the director of policy research at the Institute of Higher Education Policy has studied why the cost of tuition has steadily increased over the past several years.  

            The Institute of Higher Education Policy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization located in Washington D.C focused on improving college access for students with a focus on underserved populations. 

            Roberson said the sticker price and the net price of college has increased. The sticker price is the listed cost of a college before accounting for financial aid or scholarships. The net price is the actual cost students and their families pay. 

            She said the price of college has risen past the rate of inflation making it more difficult for students to pay for college. 

            Part of the reason for the rise in college prices is due to the Recession of 2008. Federal funding of colleges was cut during this period and students and their families took a. 

            Roberson said colleges and universities are still not at the same levels of pre-recession investment. 

            The higher price of college has led to students who don’t finish college being unable to pay back their loans. Students who do not finish college are far more likely to default on their loans than students who graduate. 

            “They invested in education but because they weren’t able to get to finish, they weren’t able to get all the benefits of higher education,” Roberson said.  

            For students with limited options to pay for college, there are multiple outlets of financial aid to provide more schooling opportunities for these students.  

            Students from lower-income backgrounds can take advantage of the Free Application for Free Student Aid. Students with financial need can apply for this and receive money to pay for college. 

            The study stated that many of those surveyed believe the lack of adequate funding of higher education has contributed to it going off track. 

            Cameron Koch, a sophomore at Stonehill College, is paying for college with the help of his parents. He took on loans to cover what he is paying.  

            Koch came to Stonehill because of its criminology program. He was willing to accept the greater cost to have a better opportunity of getting a job after graduating. 

            Koch says he has changed as a student since starting college. In high school, he was less focused on his studies as he was not under the same pressure as he is in college.  

            While at school, Koch pushes himself to do well because he is aware of the fact he is paying for his classes. Unlike high school, failing a class would mean having to retake it and spending more money. 

            He said failing would also hurt his prospects of securing a job after graduation since it would decrease his grade point average.  

            As of now, Koch is focused on his studies and has no plan to pay back his loans. By his junior or senior year of college, he hopes to have an internship and be set up for a job to make money immediately after college. 

            Koch believes college has become too expensive. He said there are some state schools that are relatively inexpensive compared to Stonehill, but even their prices have gone up. 

             "This college, in particular, is very expensive, especially if you don't have a scholarship,” Koch said. 

            The rise of college tuition has left many Americans feeling far less confident in higher education, yet it remains an appealing option for students across the country.