Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

Is Higher Education Really Worth It In The U.S?

The University of Texas at El Paso
Mariel Melchor
RWS 1302
Mondays 1:30pm

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

Abstract
The following paper will present information acquired through
primary and secondary research about the effects of rising costs in
colleges and universities. The questions upon which I based my
research included: Is the cost of attending college continuously on the
rise? Will the rising cost of higher education decrease student
enrollment in universities/colleges? How would reducing tuition costs or
making higher education free benefit students academic success?
Should higher education be at no financial cost for students, like in
Europe institutions? Upon interviewing Mr. Anthony Turrietta who is the
Associate Vice President for Business Affairs and Comptroller at The
University of Texas at El Paso, I learned that college tuition increases
can be attributed to many factors, including that of the money that is
required to pay professors and the maintenance of the buildings on
campus. I also looked into the higher education systems in European
countries which grant education to students at no cost. Through books
and graphic representations, I discussed the notable differences
between higher education in European countries and that of in the
United States.

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

Introduction
Truly, one never really realizes the serious implications of
attending collegeinstead, one envisions that the long-lasting impacts
will be positive. It is not until we find ourselves actually attending
college and funding for our own education that we actually realize
other long-lasting effects that acquiring a higher education will leave
us with; and for a lot of us, thats debt. Considering that I truly desire
and am planning to attend graduate school, I was prompted to
research the implications that will be establish upon my life once I
graduate. It also made me ponder whether or not I will be able to pay
for a graduate program without taking out a loanprobably not
possible. Therefore, I am sure that most college students such as me,
are also greatly concerned with whether or not they will be able to
complete their education and if they will be left with a career that will
be able to provide them with money to pay back their debts as well as
support them financially with their daily expenses. This also led me to
wonder the following: Why is college tuition continuously on the rise in
the U.S.? Why can we not acquire a higher education at no financial
cost, such as students in Europe? I decided to conduct research on this
matter, and in order to amplify it I decided to formulate the following
questions of inquiry:

Is the cost of attending college continuously on the rise?

Will the rising cost of higher education decrease student
enrollment in universities/colleges?

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

How would reducing tuition costs or making higher education

free benefit students academic success?

Should higher education be at no financial cost for students, like

in Europe institutions?
College tuition prices increasing over time affect our country and
the people living in it in many different waysit affects our health,
economy, and intellectual abilities. The fact that some people cannot
afford to attend college because it has become too expensive truly
limits the potential in so many individuals. Thus, I have conducted
primary and secondary research in order to answer my research
questions about the effects of rising college tuition prices on college
students and our country, as well as in comparison to other countries
such as Europe.
Review of Literature
Through conducting an interview with the Associate Vice
President for Business Affairs and Comptroller at The University of
Texas at El Paso, Mr. Anthony Turrietta, I was able to acquire
information in regards to the cost of attending college. According to Mr.
Turrietta, In the last two years, tuition has not increased at The
University of Texas at El Paso. Only some small fees, such as of those
for identification cards have increased at UTEP but Dr. Natalicio has
made it an effort to maintain UTEPs tuition at a flat rate. However,
Mr. Turrietta informed me that there are several reasons college tuition
is continuously on the rise in other states in our country and they can

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

be accredited to the fact that new buildings are needed on campuses,

new faculty is always being hired (and there is also competitiveness
when hiring faculty that are more professional and have superior
qualifications and/or experience), retaining employees, health
insurance for staff, and work-study for students. Thus, the increase in
tuition provides money to fund the infrastructure of a campus as a
whole.

NTHSCounselingBlogandNewsOutlet.(August29.2013).RetrievedApril8,2015.

Mr. Turrietta also explained that even a 1% increase for employment

could cost over $1,000,000 to the university. He explained that UTEP
will be receiving $1,000,000 next year, which might seem like a huge
amount but in reality, approximately $3,010,000 are actually needed in

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

order to fund the services provided by UTEP. Furthermore, many

students believe that UTEP funds money for athletic scholarships,
although that is not a fact; the athletic department is apart from
UTEPs money. Scholarships are actually funded by donations made to
UTEP, and labs are funded by the money that is provided for research.
Many UTEP students may also qualify for Financial Aid and/or Pell
Grants, which are of great helpbut not all students qualify for this
type of aid. Therefore, Mr. Turrietta also informed me of the different
payment methods that are available to UTEP students through the
Student Business Services, which include student payment plans and
emergency loans for text booksand these loans are non-interest
based. When asked about attending graduate school, Mr. Turrietta
stated that many universities will offer students jobs as research
assistants or teaching assistants, which will provide a monthly stipend
to help with students daily expenses and to help pay tuition, books,
and other fees. When I asked Mr. Turrietta if he believed attending
UTEP is affordable, he definitely said it is affordable, compared to other
colleges and universities who charge an outrageous amount of tuition
fees, especially those that are private. As for college attendance at
UTEP, Mr. Turrietta said there has been a steady increase in the last 10
years, and between 2008 and 2011 there was a 4% growth in college
enrollment. In private universities, however, there has been a flat rate
and even some decreases in college enrollment. As per Mr. Turrietta,

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

this could be attributed to the economic growth in success that is

thriving nationally. At UTEP, however, a great portion of students drop
out of their courses after their freshman year, either to take a break,
due to them losing their financial aid, or due to other issues, and later
return 4 or 5 years later.
However, Mr. Turrietta did state that he believes tuition should be
available to all students who wish to acquire an education at no cost,
such as in European countries. He said he has proven that that would
be effective because he has been able to travel to European countries
such as Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, and he said the individuals
living there were very educated, polite, and the cities were much
cleaner. However, the only drawback of living there are the high
amounts of taxes that are paid, and many students are also left with
large amounts of debt due to these expenses.

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

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Phillips,M.(2013,May31).TheHighPriceofaFreeCollegeEducationinSweden.RetrievedApril15,
2015.

In essence, college might not be as expensive in certain states

but in the end, they all cost us money, especially when attending
graduate school. Sure, there are many loans we are allowed to accept,
but the long-term consequences of taking such loans can double or
even triple up. The book Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs
Too Much not only presents facts about why college tuition is
continuously on the rise and why degrees are leaving students with
large amounts of debt, but it further addresses the fact that Americans
are not receiving quality education in addition to leaving them broke.
This leads us to truly question the value of the degree we are each
pursuing in terms of how good it will be able to sustain us financially
will we be able to pay the debts left by school on top of all the other
expenses, such as bills? The research presented in this book shows
how universities in our country have become less productive, less
efficient, and more likely to use tuition money and state and federal
grants to subsidize non-instructional activities such as athletics
(Vedder, 2004). The factors provided by Vedder (2004) are only a small
part of what continues to make education in America more and more
difficult to attain over the years. The author also proposes that some
solutions to this ongoing problem could include altering tenure,
increasing teaching loads, paring administrative staffs, increasing

Running head: IS HIGHER EDUCATION REALLY WORTH IT IN THE

U.S.?

distance learning, and cutting costly non-educational programs

(Vedder, 2004). Another innovative alteration that Vedder (2004)
suggests includes transforming state grants to universities into
student voucher programs, as well as other steps to increase
privatization of state universities.
One can perceive tuition costs as punishing students for trying
to better themselves, educate themselves, and acquire a rich future
truly seems like a paradox. The article, titled US tuition too high in
comparison to Europe, compares the free tuition students in Europe
receive, even when pursuing higher education, and the increasing cost
for attending college in the U.S., and the debt left for many students
(Scott, 2013). Europe allows whomever of its citizens that has the will
to attend college to do so at no cost; sure, there are taxes, but we also
have to pay taxes on top of our tuition fees. This article takes the time
to provide statements from students who are enrolled in higher
education programs in other countries in Europe and from those
enrolled in the same programs but in the U.S., and one can note that
tuition cost is incredibly differenttuition doesnt even exist in some
European universities. One can get up to a Masters degree, or even
acquire a doctoral degree for very small fees or no charges at all. In
addition, Europe has definitely made many transformations in their
higher education systems in order to make education available to all
students; thus, they have seen an increasing trend when it comes to

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college enrollment in the past 40 years (Eicher, 1998). Furthermore,

the increases seen in college tuition are definitely surpassing the rate
of inflation (and they continue to do so every year), as well as the
increases in family income, and the increases seen in financial aid
(Boehner & McKeon, 3003). The increasing costs are taking its toll on
students and their families, and ultimately pushing them outside of the
entire college market, as stated in Boehner and McKeons book (2003).
In accordance with Vedders research and ideas, U.S. citizens, attribute
tuition increases to the wasteful spending that is being done by
those who manage college and university finances. Students who feel
victimized by colleges that are continuously increasing tuition fees also
feel like they are being misinformed, which prevents them from holding
the colleges or universities accountable for the current financial crisis.
While significant tuition increases are the norm, they are not
unavoidable. Some colleges have managed to hold tuition increases to
a manageable level, or even to reduce tuition. This provides concrete
examples that college costs do not have to increase at such a rapid
pace (Boehner & McKeon, 2003). These are not the only effects of the
skyrocketing college tuition prices, but American students can then
furthermore experience feeling sad, confused, stressed, worried,
regretful, and less motivated to attend school because of the lack of
financial support they might be facing or because they think about the
problems that are coming up ahead with all of the debt. European

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students, however, might feel the complete opposite; they must feel a
sense of relief (that education is free or affordable), happiness, and
might even feel more motivated to attain a higher education.
The documentary film found on YouTube, called Scholarslip: A
documentary about the student debt crisis, focuses on discussing the
increasing college tuition for students and how students continue to
struggle to pay for college tuition with minimum-wage jobs and loans,
leaving them with great amounts of debt. This documentary film
presents 3 anecdotes from college students who struggle to pay their
way through college and still manage to succeed, but will be left with
great amounts of debt. The film provides statistics displaying that
students who come from families that make an annual income of
$150,000 have a 75% chance of graduating with a higher education
degree versus those students who come from a family with an annual
income of $30,000 or less which have a 25% chance of graduating with
that same higher education degree. Thus, income plays a great part in
determining an individuals career and future.
Conclusion
Through the primary and secondary research that I conducted, I
have come to the conclusion that acquiring a higher education degree
should not demand the individual to give up so much, for such a long
time, in exchange for something that in the long run will be less. If we
have the will, motivation, and enthusiasm to pursue something

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beneficial, something good, why are we pulled apart from it due to

moneyan object that comes and goes? In order to do something
good, we are put through so many unwanted and unpleasant
situations; we are put under so much stress because we are afraid of
what is to come if we do not have the sufficient money to pay through
school or pay the debts left behind education. I believe that the U.S.
has become too complacent and comfortable with the things that are
being granted to usthings that will not benefit us as much as being
educated. Why go to school if the government will provide us with
money to feed our children and ourselves? Instead, we should change
our vision, and work to attain higher education at no cost, or at least
reducing the costs significantly. Take away what is allowing us to push
away education even farthermake us want to go to school because
you are granting it to us.

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References
Boehner, J. A., & McKeon, H. P. (2003). The College Cost Crisis: A
Congressional Analysis of College Costs and Implications for
America's Higher Education System.
Corazzini, A. J., Dugan, D. J., & Grabowski, H. G. (1972). Determinants
and distributional aspects of enrollment in US higher education.
Journal of Human Resources, 39-59.
Eicher, J. C. (1998). The costs and financing of higher education in
Europe.European Journal of Education, 31-39.
Guy, H., & Jette, K. (2000). Trends and issues in learning structures in
higher education in Europe. Bonn, HRK.
Hauptman, A. M., & Merisotis, J. P. (1990). The College Tuition Spiral: An
Examination of Why Charges Are Increasing. Macmillan
Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022.
NTHS Counseling Blog and News Outlet. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://nthscounseling.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html
Phillips, M. (2013, May 31). The High Price of a Free College Education
in Sweden. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/thehigh-price-of-a-free-college-education-in-sweden/276428/

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Porter, K. (2002). The Value of a College Degree. ERIC Digest.

Scholarslip: A documentary about the student debt crisis [Motion
picture]. (2012). JAT Productions. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFY-PgPA-Uk
Schomburg, H., & Teichler, U. (2007). Higher education and graduate
employment in Europe: results from graduates surveys from
twelve countries(Vol. 15). Springer Science & Business Media.
Scott, M. (2013, May 9). US tuition too high in comparison to Europe UMD Statesman. Retrieved from
https://umdstatesman.wp.d.umn.edu/2013/05/09/us-tuition-toohigh-in-comparison-to-europe/
Vedder, R. (2004). Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too
Much. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
1150 Seventeenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.