As an incoming college freshman, money is a heavy topic on my mind. Being a part of a lower income family, I received financial aid from the government in the form of grants and loans. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still paying for my education but the aide has taken a large burden off my shoulders.
In May, President Trump introduced a budget plan that would do a substantial amount of damage to those benefitting from financial aid. Part of his proposed budget includes putting a cap on the Federal Pell Grant with a maximum amount of $5,920. This means that even as university prices rise, the grant's will stay the same.
Times are different than they were fifty years ago. As time goes on higher education is getting more and more expensive. Most four year universities require a two year stay on campus which means two years of paying for room and board.
While living out their two years on campus, students are expected (sometimes required) to purchase a meal plan that adds on to the cost of the tuition. These are just the expenses that are not directly involved in the education not including dorm necessities like cleaning supplies and bedding (I mean honestly, do you know how hard it is to find twin xl anything for cheap?).
Now let's address the actual cost of tuition... but wait, before even getting to experience their education students must buy their textbooks. Students can end up paying $1,000 just on their textbooks and that is not included in the tuition cost.
Although the textbooks are costly, some professors only use them a handful of times. Along with textbooks college is almost impossible to navigate without a laptop and one of good quality is pricey. Federal grants only cover tuition and room. Extra expenses and textbooks are funded solely from the student.
Tuition has been steadily on the rise and four-year public colleges have seen the largest rise. According to the College Board, the average tuition for the 2016-2017 school year is $33,000 for a private institution and $9,650 for a state/public university (that's not including those extra expenses we just talked about).
Students from lower income houses find themselves working more during the academic year and risk losing focus of their schooling. While paying for the education is important it is more so to be a successful student while in college and if a student is working too much they cant be. Higher education and its funding affects everyone.
If you feel strongly about this issue it's easy to make a difference, call your congressmen! If our generation can put a stop to lowering federal aid then we can make a better future for ourselves and generations to come.