Danielle Mullins

Today in America, the price of education is one of the top bills parents and students have. From the beginning of time the American Dream has been considered going to college, receiving a degree, and buying a big house with a family. The downfall to this plan and dream is the big cost of education and the trouble Americans have to go through to get there.

School is costly for some, reasons being some students don’t have the academics or athletic abilities to help cover the cost of tuition. Some students also have an absence of state financing, and no option for work-study landing them with no other way to afford college other than to take out a huge loan. The expense of school has made a degree less beneficial than it was 10 years back, experts from forbes.com have said.

Since the spark of the pandemic in March 2020, COVID-19 has students questioning the cost of their education. Parents and college students pull out loans and struggle to make ends meet when it comes to tuition and are questioning if college is even worth it right now.

During 2019-2020 academic year the average yearly price of tuition, fees, room, and board was $30,500 but can vary widely, according to educationdate.org. Colleges and universities are taking thousands of dollars from students and sending them home with no signs of refunds or a fair learning environment.

 “I find it hard to succeed for the rest of the semester with limited to no resources at home to do so,” states college freshman, Andrew Wilson, at Bowie State University. When we are able to be on campus, we have the proper access to a library and computers, materials which are paid for by our tuition.

Students are still paying universities high amounts and are not getting the same resources and quality education for the price being paid. Nadira Al-Salam, sophomore at Delaware State University, states “I feel like my money is being stolen from me, to teach myself things I should be learning from professors.”

According to wabi.tv.com, education costs are expected to rise in the coming school year due to the pandemic. Schools will need more funding in order to provide more options and to be able to facilitate social distancing and provide testing sites.

Schools and universities are also in a dire need for more staff resulting in a pay for more employees. Universities also believe that regardless of the mode of delivery, they are still providing education, which students have to pay full price for.

 Students may also be losing their scholarships and opportunity for advancements in getting school paid for. Some students are not getting the same face-to-face learning experience, resulting in lower grades, which may have taken away their scholarships.

The cost of education should be something that is taken into consideration among all the schools throughout America during this pandemic. It will provide the opportunity for many students to stay in school during this time, other than taking a break because they can’t afford the costs. Students are using social media and petitions to vouch their concerns of this ongoing issue.