People say college can be remembered as some of the best days of your life. But they don’t necessarily tell you the debt you can accumulate by the end of your four years. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015-2016 school year was $32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $32,893 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. According to U.S. News, “In its ninth annual report on student loan debt, TICAS found nearly 7 in 10 graduating seniors in 2013 -- 69 percent -- left school with an average of $28,400 in student loan debt, an increase of 2 percent from 2012.” We are now in 2016 and the amount of debt is rising. There are many ways that colleges could lower the amount of debt for their students.

First, as a full-time student, you should receive a parking pass for free. At the University of South Carolina, students have to pay $360 each semester for parking. Normally, most freshmen don't have the luxury of having a car. USC is one of the more expensive colleges when it comes to parking. The normal average for student parking ranges from $75 to $100. Whether expensive or not expensive, a university should be able to provide free parking for all their students.

Second, testing materials for students should be provided. Many colleges use Scantrons and blue books for testing. You would think the college would provide these for their students. Nope, a student must purchase these materials in order to take a test. The Scantron and bluebook may not cost a lot, but they're unnecessary purchases that students shouldn’t have to make.

Third, students shouldn’t have to pay to print with the university's printer. Students are using the printers because of the assignments given by the professors. If students have to print something out for a class, they shouldn’t be charged for it. As long a student can prove the material they are printing is for a class, they should be able to do it for free. If a student needs to use the printer for personal usage, that’s when they should be charged.

Fourth, meal plans are too expensive. It’s amazing how much a college will charge you for food. Food can’t be free, but the prices can be lowered. Many college students complain that the cafeteria food doesn’t taste good. So why should they have to pay so much for it? If the college is going to charge so much for food, at least make it good quality.

Overall, there are many unnecessary expenses that add up over the four-year period. Debt is always a stressful aspect in a lot of peoples lives. And that can be especially hard on students. Trying to maintain a good GPA and worrying about debt increases the amount of stress. Colleges can easily avoid this by making changes to the little things. By lowering prices and actually giving students some things for free, college could become more affordable and less stressful.