Categories: EditorialsOpinions

Editorial: PA universities stuck at the top of the tuition climb

Pennsylvania’s education system is in a state of disarray.

The budget crisis is leaving primary schools without state funding, forcing many to rely on bank loans to pay the bills. Meanwhile, the situation for our state colleges is similarly dire, with students shouldering the weight of the problem.

Pennsylvania’s state colleges dependence on student tuition demonstrates their insurmountable costs. In fact, according to a report the College Board released Wednesday, Pennsylvania has the third-most expensive public universities in the nation. This report should serve as a red alert to state legislators. Stop arguing, pass the budget and fix the mess former Gov. Tom Corbett left behind.

The average tuition of state universities in Pennsylvania is 42 percent more expensive than the national average of $9,410. Pitt and Penn State help contribute to our higher average costs, with in-state tuitions of $18,192 and $17,502, respectively.

The lack of state-allocated funds for higher education directly correlates with Pennsylvania’s high tuition costs.

Earlier this year, the Student Impact Project, an initiative of the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles, gave Pennsylvania an F based on our state’s level of funding for higher education. Uncoincidentally, the states with the first- and second-most expensive public universities, New Hampshire and Vermont, also received F’s in college funding.

In upcoming budget talks, legislators in Harrisburg need to find a reasonable level of state funding for public colleges — simply because most Pennsylvanians currently can’t afford to go to the nation’s third-most expensive colleges.

Pennsylvania ranks only 25th among U.S. states in average household income at $52,481. An average Pennsylvanian household sending two children to Pitt would cost $36,384 in tuition alone — not including housing and books — accounting for about 70 percent of the household’s total income.

Simply put, Pennsylvania’s college tuition costs turn a public service into a commodity that only a privileged few can enjoy.

According to a 2013 report from the University of Pennsylvania and the Pell Institute for Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, 77 percent of adults from families in the top income quartile earned at least bachelor’s degrees by the time they turned 24. This is compared to only 9 percent of 24-year-olds from the lowest income bracket.

In today’s economy, a college degree is one of the few pathways to a decent paying job. If Pennsylvania wants to increase the livelihood of its residents, it must work harder to make college more affordable.

Otherwise, the “value” of an education will not be worth the cost.

opinionsdesk

Share
Published by
opinionsdesk

Recent Posts

Police blotter: March 21 to March 27

Thursday, March 21 An individual from the parking department reported one of their boot systems…

3 hours ago

Pitt athletics finish March with a full weekend

As the weekend approaches, Pitt athletics prepares for a pivotal weekend of conference play and…

4 hours ago

Take 4 | NFL rule changes, Steelers and Caleb Williams

In this week’s Take 4, The Pitt News Sports Desk gives its take on the…

4 hours ago

Opinion | My first time out of the country was life-changing and yours can be too

I always wanted to travel abroad. I always imagined myself going out of the country…

5 hours ago

Opinion | I am media literate and also don’t like ‘Poor Things’

Not only was “Poor Things” a personally unpleasant watch, but the story and certain choices…

5 hours ago

Carnegie Museum spotlights conservation efforts in latest Ancient Egypt exhibition

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History revealed its newly revamped Ancient Egypt collection in early…

5 hours ago