It's often said that "College isn't for everyone." With tuition rising at a rate of 7 percent every year, average tuition costs are now over double the 2012 rates. While some would argue that tuition continues to rise just like everything else like clothes, food and gas, tuition specifically happens to be soaring at much more rapid rates than average inflation. Currently, cost considering, college is not a right everyone has, but why shouldn't it be? I believe that college should be affordable for everyone, and money should never be a factor that hinders this right. Most college students know all too well what it means to be 'ballin' on a budget.' 20 years ago, students could easily afford to pay for school by working a part time job. Today, with the rising cost of living, it’s nearly impossible for most students to be able to afford college on their own, even with a full-time job. This increase is significantly hurting the chance for low income and middle class families to be able to send their kids to college. As college students, we hold the future of this country in our hands, so the government needs to invest in this generation now. We should not be paying significantly more in tuition every year when the average student is already expected to graduate with nearly $40,000 in student loans by the time they graduate with a bachelor's degree. Moreover, with such a narrow range for students to qualify for federal aid, many students pass the cutoff for grants, making it much harder to afford college, and many are unable to afford to go even with the full amount of federal loans.

We all know college is expensive. But more people are going to school than ever before. We currently hold the highest average of women, minority, and disabled students ever in history. So why is education not being treated as a priority? The government talks about how they value educating students to pave the way for a greater future. But how can this happen when financial barriers restrict certain students from obtaining a higher education? If education is as important as the government claims it is, then it’s time to start investing in the future and slow down the ever-growing tuition increases because college should never be determined by money.