College has never been the cheapest. However, this year, the cost continues to rise. An average two-year community college can cost between $20,000 and $40,000, including tuition and other fees. A public four-year college can cost between $30,000 and $60,000 per year. The most expensive of them all is a private four-year college, costing a whopping $60,000 to $80,000 per year.
Not all students have the money to pay for these expensive costs every year they want to go to college. That’s why we here at KRHS News asked students whether they still think college is worth the cost. Are they going to be on team college and say it’s a reasonable price, or would they rather pursue something that doesn’t require a college degree?
Junior Rachel Boyer says, “I think a reasonable price for college is around $25,000 or less per year no matter what school you go to. College is so expensive, it’s not really worth the cost. You could go into the trades and have a job and be making way more money than other people who get a four-year college degree. Plus you won’t be in debt.” When asked whether she thinks the cost of college favors students who can more easily afford it, she said, “Yes, but only a little bit.”
Mckenzie Kaufman, a junior, agrees with Rachel that you can still get a high-paying job without a college degree. She pointed to her own family as an example. “My dad dropped out of college and he still has a really high paying job.” We asked whether she is going to college, and she said, “I do plan on going to college. Probably JMU or anywhere in Virginia.” When it comes to cost, Mckenzie says, “I think that the price should be half or less of what it currently is.”
Senior Izzy DeCastro says she is most definitely going to college and is hoping that she gets accepted to JMU. We asked her what her major is going to be, and she said that it will be music education. When discussing affordability, DeCastro said, “I think that JMU college is cheaper than some other schools, but college in general can be hard to afford.”
When asked if she thinks college is worth the cost, she said, “I think it really depends on where you go and your experience when you are there.”
Freshman Valentine Elder says she thinks a bachelor’s degree is worth the cost, but most of the others, like a master’s or doctoral degree, may not be worth the additional time and cost unless they are necessary for a specific career. She says, “I think it is necessary to go to college, so I will absolutely be attending.”
We asked her what she thinks is a reasonable price for college, and she responded with, “Maybe $15,000 a year. It all depends on how valuable your major is, but for just an average degree, it shouldn’t be any more than that.”
Lily Stucki, a sophomore, says, “I don’t really think it’s worth the cost anymore. I just think it’s easier to do online college and you save a lot of money.”
We asked if she was planning on going to college in person or online, and she responded with, “I hopefully will be doing college, I might do online and in-person, but I would probably want to go to Utah Tech.” Lily says she isn’t quite sure if the majority of students would be able to afford this college because she hasn’t done much research beyond the majors offered.
After interviewing these students, we found that the majority still plan on going to college after they graduate. Most of them also think that college should be much cheaper than it is currently. Although students had different ideas about whether college is worth the price, affordability was a concern shared by nearly everyone interviewed. We appreciate all of these students who answered our questions and gave their opinions.
