As a current University student, I totally understand this question and feel the same way! The price of living has soared in the United States, and many people feel as if they cannot afford a college education. From the perspective of the average individual in education, it seems prices for tuition and other education-related fees have gone up tremendously. Why is this? “States collectively cut spending to colleges and universities by 16 percent in real terms between 2008 and 2017, the CPBB says.” (PBS) Factors like a decline in enrollments, rising costs versus budget restraints, restrictive policymaking, and inequitable funding have contributed to state and federal funding not increasing proportionally to individual education expenses. People are concerned about where their money is going, not only through their education but through their tax paying dollars. What studies from 2021 have revealed is that individual funding per student has decreased while the total spending on higher education increased (not only from those funds, but from tuition funds as well). “Tuition as a percentage of higher education spending grew in part because state direct appropriations per student declined over the period. That is, state and local spending on higher education only increased over the period because tuition payments increased.” (Urban Institute)
This begs the question: What is all this spending going towards? Research shows that the majority of these expenses are directed towards operational costs for these institutions, as well as various construction, maintenance, and student and faculty services. But as expensive as these services are, they are providing a service to our society that will produce working members of society, more access to equal opportunities, and a number of social and economic benefits. One example of this influence I’d like to emphasize is the overwhelming amount of research these public institutions publish. For anyone who didn’t know, data shows that public universities conduct ⅔ of university-based research, as well as a large share of research that is federally funded. “This research improves our collective understanding of the world around us, helps cure debilitating diseases, and fosters innovations that grow our economy.” (APLU) To sum it up: While tuition and education expenses are increasing at a faster rate than state and federal support -which is definitely something that must be addressed and changed-, those expenses are what’s funding the future of our society and economy.
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