Two out of three students attend college immediately after high school. While they may be excited about going to college, over time they may become very anxious as they realize the cost of their education and question whether or not the benefit is worth it. This student's parent might provide over a quarter of a million dollars before earning a college degree, wondering whether it would be more beneficial to spend it elsewhere. One article, in particular, confirms this statement. Written by Joann Weiner, veteran writer and senior consultant at NYC Health + Hospitals, Do the Benefits of a College Education Outweigh the Costs? is an article published by the Washington Post in 2019 that sheds light on the relationship between education and costs for college students. The article covers many topics and various types of universities with different levels of education. According to the article, there are many benefits to having a higher education, even though it may not be affordable, the result is questioning the benefits versus the costs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay President Obama said that “Higher education is not a luxury. Earning a college degree or post-secondary credential is a prerequisite for 21st century jobs and one that everyone should be able to afford.” We are used to being told that to get a well-paid job you need to have some form of higher education. While there may be a job opportunity without the need for a college degree, that doesn't justify the argument that we don't need to go to school. “People with a college degree tend to keep jobs during recessions and have a lower unemployment rate over time than those with only a high school diploma.” Most high-paying jobs require some form of higher education degree. “The Pew Research Center found that the “big advantage” of a college degree is not so much in earnings but in the ability to get and keep a job.” Furthermore, college is not just about having a high income, on the contrary, it is important to know that there are advantages to a college education. “Studies show that people with more education enjoy better health, their children enjoy better health, and their marriages are more stable than people with less education.” This shows that it is important to have a higher education as you are there to learn something and not just waste your money. The point of the study is not whether the college offers the graduate a net financial advantage, but whether the college offers an overall net advantage. The Pew survey shows us that the majority of students who graduate from a four-year college have benefited from their education, thus forming into a more mature and intellectually individual. College has its many benefits, in addition to having a great impact on the future, it teaches people the skills and knowledge needed for future work employment. According to popular opinion, college is the way to go after graduating from high school. It is a requirement for many job positions and many expect them to have a higher education degree. However, the financial situation is not talked about, but rather neglected. This then becomes such a problem that students are unable to attend college due to financial constraints. “The average is about $40,000 per year at a private four-year institution and $17,000 at a public four-year institution.” When they see these large numbers, they feel overwhelmed and decide not to attend higher education or totake out a loan that they will end up paying for many years to come. Several students enroll in numerous scholarships and grants, however, they do not cover much of the overall cost. Unless a full-time scholarship is offered to a scholar, he or she may take part in any financial aid presented and still end up in debt. “Students (or their parents) are also eligible for a variety of education-based tax breaks, such as the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credit, and can set aside money in tax-advantaged education savings accounts, known as Section 529 plans and Coverdell education savings accounts, which reduce the cost of saving for college. In many cases, interest paid on qualified student loans is tax deductible. Even though this is available, students are still left with debt. Whether you attend a private or public four-year degree-granting university, the price you pay for an education is high. “According to the CATC, a typical GWU student will pay a net price of $31,443 per year after scholarships and grants. The student will borrow a total of $24,050 and make payments of $276.77 each month for ten years to repay the loan.” George Washington University is a private college with a 40% acceptance rate and a 70% graduation rate. With a low acceptance rate, if a person gets in, they will have a hefty bill after graduation day, and that is if they graduate. You might think that attending a public university is a low-cost option, but that's actually false. “A typical UC-Berkeley student will pay $16,178 per year after scholarships and grants and have $16,028 in federal loans for a monthly payment of $184.45 over 10 years.” This is the University of California, Berkeley, a public college. Once again I noticed the high price and 10 years of monthly payments. They only have a 17% acceptance rate and a 98% graduation rate. Now considering another private institution, “For Harvard, a student will pay $14,445 per year after scholarships and grants and require $11,000 in federal loans for a monthly payment of $126.59 over 10 years.” Harvard is a well-known private Ivy League research university, recognized for intellectual undergraduates. Evidence of this would be their ninety-eight% graduation rate, although some may see this as exclusive due to their 5% acceptance rate. Finally, let's look at another public university, considered a low-cost public institution: “A student at California State University-Los Angeles will pay $3,713 per year after scholarships and grants. That student will have the same amount of federal student loans as the Harvard student and, therefore, will have the same monthly payment of $126.59. You can attend a public university for the price of a private university, but on top of that comes the school's credibility and networking opportunities. In this case, the graduation rate is lower at 41%, but the acceptance rate is higher at 64%. This indicates the average net cost a student pays for a year at a particular college or university. As we see from all these examples, wherever one might attend a university, one expects some sort of department to emerge. The student would have to repay any loan borrowed to pay for remaining expenses. A possible solution to this could be, in exchange for extending the loan repayment period and forgiving all unpaid loan amounts after that period, the federal government offers various schemes.