Category: College Costs


10 ways to save on college costs

Posted on July 19th, 2013

Who wouldn’t love to pay less for their college degree? Check out this slideshow from US News Education to find out how you can save on college costs and make your money go farther once you’re enrolled.

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“We need to have a different concept of higher education”

Posted on July 17th, 2013

"How can you start a business, how can you build a family, how can you buy a home, how can you be a consumer, which is vital to economic progress and job creation, if you're paying off a $90,000 loan?" -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)

As student loan debt tops $1 trillion dollars, the outcry to reduce student loan interest rates and help those already in debt grows stronger. In this video from Politico, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) offers his take on the high cost of college, society’s view of higher education, and the impact of student debt on the economy. […]

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How student debt impacts creativity

Posted on July 16th, 2013

"Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society. When you trap people in a system of debt they can't afford the time to think. Tuition fee increases are a disciplinary technique, and by the time students graduate, they are not only loaded with debt, but have also internalized the disciplinarian culture. This makes them efficient components of the consumer economy." -- Noam Chomsky

A powerful quote by Noam Chomsky about how student debt relates to  the consumer economy and the creativity and values of future generations: Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society. When you trap people in a system of debt they can’t afford the time to think. Tuition […]

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Student loan interest rates aren’t the problem

Posted on July 8th, 2013

"Manifestly Congress has failed our students. But the real failure here is the pretense that federal loans are making college more affordable." -- NY Post

This commentary from the NY Post sums up the real way Congress has failed students perfectly. The problem is not just that Congress has hurt students by failing to keep student loan interest rates from doubling to 6.8%. It’s that they have done nothing to prevent college costs from skyrocketing. The real problem: college affordability […]

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Columbia tops list of most expensive schools

Posted on June 30th, 2013

The Education Department has released its annual list of the country’s most expensive colleges, both private and public. For 2011-12 academic year, Columbia University narrowly edged out Sarah Lawrence as the college with the highest tuition in the U.S., at $45,290 per year. This does not include room and board, books, or college fees, which push most of the most expensive colleges’ list prices far above $60,000.

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Student loan debt is a symptom, not a disease

Posted on June 18th, 2013

"As the President and Congress spend all their time focused on interest rates and repayment plans, the cause of all this debt continues to grow with impunity. This continued focus is dealing with the symptoms of student indebtedness and not the disease." -- Craig Anderson

This enlightening post from Common Sense Student Loans argues that the student loan debate going on in Congress right now is preventing us from dealing with the root “disease” of skyrocketing college costs. Student loan debt, author Craig Anderson argues, is a symptom of this much larger issue, and current government proposals are merely Band-Aids […]

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“A generation that can barely stand on its feet”: The plight of the millennial parent

Posted on June 13th, 2013

"He wants his sons to have the same quality of education he did, and the professional advantages that came with it. But he does not see how this is possible. When his sons are old enough for college, he will still be paying back his own student loans. With wages stagnant and tuition fees well outpacing inflation, there is little chance he will be able to afford their education. His children will be back where he started." -- Sarah Kendzior

While the millennial generation has been labeled as lazy, entitled, and narcissistic, many people neglect to realize that this generation has entered a world with shrinking employment opportunities and mobility. For young people, jobs (especially good ones) are hard to find, and many are saddled with tons of college debt. And for young adults who are […]

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College in Sweden is free. So why do students have so much debt?

Posted on June 10th, 2013

Students in Sweden attend college for free, but they still graduate with an average of $19,000 in debt. But unlike in the U.S., this debt is easily managed due to low interest rates and long repayment periods.

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Why is college so expensive?

Posted on May 31st, 2013

"Because colleges have no problem filling seats, even with record-high tuitions, they felt no pressure to cut costs. Instead, colleges have spent more--fancy student centers, dining halls, athletic facilities, and many more administrative staff than ever before. These additions make college more expensive without increasing the value of a diploma." -- Professor David Lin

It’s news to no one that the cost of attendance at U.S. colleges has risen dramatically over the past thirty years, leading more students to rely heavily on student loans and become burdened by debt. In the video below, David Lin, an economics professor at American University, explains why tuition costs have increased so quickly […]

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If you don’t get a job, your education is free

Posted on May 8th, 2013

Imagine a school where they only make you pay tuition if you get a job. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

App Academy, an intensive software development course in New York City and San Francisco, makes that promise. Check out the video above for information about the school, its students, and its innovative tuition model.

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