Where Does Tuition Money Go?

With the recent spike in the cost of Higher Education it might raise concern of where the increase in funds are distributed. The main purpose of higher education is to better the lives of those students who choose attend. So the programs colleges choose to spend their students money on should be a major concern when it come to deciding a school. A report produced by the Delta Cost Project,examined the different spending patterns at different types of institutions. It showed spending per student at private research university is almost twice that of a public research university.

Besides the differences in spending between a private and public university, there is a large difference into which department receives the most funding. It may come to a surprise but even with the increase of tuition the spending on the instructional departments have relatively stayed the same according to Jane Wellman, executive director of Delta Cost Project. The majority of ones tuition will most likely go into research departments that a university offers. Or at least the up keep of a research department is most likely greater than that of a regular instructional department. Does that seem adequate for someone who doesn't plan on going into a field that need such extensive research?

Cost of Tuition Today

In today's society prices are raising everywhere but for some reason the price of college has taken a steep increase over the past 15 years. Just from the year 2006 to 2007 the average cost of college increased 7 percent. The prices almost seem impossible for an independent student to afford even with the help of financial aid. Why has this drastic increase occurred? Well the qualifications and standards for the jobs available has also increased.

A large portion of the major companies today outsource a large portion of jobs or were competing with foreign countries which have taken away work, such as Toyota or Samsung. with outsourcing the jobs that use to exist in America which took little skill have now been placed in other countries for lower wages. With the lower level jobs leaving only a greater amount of higher skilled jobs are left, which causes a demand for higher education. Its with this higher demand for college education schools are able to jack up the prices to extremely high rates. Which can also raise the question of the opportunity cost of higher education.

The True Value of Education

The rising cost of higher education has caused many to doubt the true benefit of furthering their education past high school. People more than ever are wondering whether the opportunity cost of choosing college over a steady job is worth the reward. The risk is even larger for low income families who already have a difficult time making ends meet without college tuition and fees. Also with the recent spike in the cost of tuition it would leave a student directly out of college in thousands of dollars in debt.

In order to determine whether higher education is worth the risk, it is easiest to look at the average amount made over a life time of a high school graduate versus a college graduate. In a life time a bachelor degree makes around 1 million more according to a 2002 study. Another study conducted in 1998 showed a different perspective of improved life besides a greater income. The study showed a large number of aspects for that a college graduate enjoys, such as higher levels of saving, improved quality of life for their children, better consumer decision making, and more hobbies and leisure activities.

Overall if one can afford to go to college the opportunity cost may seem daunting at first but the benefits eventually outweigh the costs, not only financially but in the general standard of living as well.

Community vs. State: part 2

As I talked about earlier, there are several differences between the state schools and the community schooling. In my first post about the differences I mentioned the size of the class rooms and how they effect learning. Another difference however is the level of education you receive. The level at which is required is most classes for a major university is usually considered more intense. At UK falling behind on my work load was very hard to recover from and the was a lot more expected out of you. This wasn't the case in every class but for the most part the classes do seem more challenging.

At any institution there will be tough classes and easy one, also the amazing teachers and those who struggle to relate to the students and teach them in the best way possible. However at a community college they don't offer the level off qualifications that the universities do. Which are the levels of qualifications that the majority of higher paying jobs are looking for. although there are many programs that a community college offers for many jobs that don't require as high of standards.

There is nothing wrong with those jobs either, its all a point of perspective, and some times that perspective a negative one when it comes to a community college.