As a society, we relentlessly campaign for higher education. High schools across the country drill the idea of going to college after graduation into the minds of their students from the first day of freshman year to the last day of senior year.
Students spend every waking moment of their high school career with the lingering threat of getting into a good college hanging over their heads. So they study. And study. And study. But what happens when studying isn’t enough? What happens when you get into that shiny, impressive school you worked so hard for, but the price tag sends a shiver down your body?
The average college student spends more than $38,000 per year pursuing their degree. This is already an astronomical figure when you multiply that by the typical four years — more than $152,000, not to mention all the other costs that come with going to college — but that is merely an average.
Countless schools cost double, triple or even five times as much as that, with Columbia University’s average cost for a four-year degree reaching over $500,000, a number I truthfully can’t even wrap my mind around.
Harvard University, one of this country’s most prestigious universities, recently announced its plans to waive tuition costs entirely for families with incomes under $200,000 per year. For families making less than $100,000, additional costs incurred for food, housing, health insurance and travel will also be covered and they will receive multiple grants throughout their years at Harvard.
The university president stated that this plan, which they intend to enact in the upcoming 2025-26 school year, is an attempt to alleviate some of the financial burdens of attending Harvard and allow a richer diversity of students to attend.
Now, this of course does not mean that it will get any easier to get into Harvard — in fact, I predict it might lower the already impossibly low acceptance rate of under 3% for students applying regular decision. You still absolutely need to have the grades to prove yourself in the eyes of Harvard Admissions — but I think this is a great step towards making college more accessible.
No student with the sheer intelligence it takes to get accepted to Harvard should have to let an acceptance letter pass them by just because they can’t bear the thought of the crippling debt that will come along with it.
An estimated 43% of students who borrow loans to attend college pay off their debts within 10 years of graduating, some taking upwards of 20 years or even more than 45 years for those seeking higher-level degrees to repay their loans.
For a lot of students, myself certainly included, this is an extremely and ever-present thought, so much so that students will choose careers they may not even be completely interested in just for the security of having a stable income post-grad to pay off the debts they amassed. A survey conducted by Forbes found that 55% of students would have chosen a different major if they didn’t have to consider money.
College should not be as exclusive as it has become. A student who desires to pursue higher education after high school should be able to do that. Getting an education is a wonderfully fulfilling thing, and it is devastating that the sky-high price of college is an impediment to that.
The fact that Harvard has gotten the ball rolling on making college more accessible to students of all walks of life is an amazing step in the right direction and it is my most sincere hope that more colleges follow suit.
mkane10@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Harvard magazine
