Educational Costs in California

Educational Costs in California
- By Raul Aguilar

Educational Costs in California

By Raul Aguilar 

                                                                                                                                                                         

            

   Going to A University

Being a senior in high school and receiving your admissions letter to your dream school or multiple schools is an accomplishment. Now you have to check if you will receive any financial aid or if you have to pay out of pocket. Then you notice you have to pay out of pocket and you will be taking out loans. Or you might have to go to the most affordable university. Why are universities so expensive? Inflation is a reason why tuition costs spike up every year. Another reason is not enough funding. Universities do not receive as much aid as it used to and as a result, students have to pay a big amount to attend.

Facts and Statistics

• According to a research by the Urban institute, tuition is about 3x higher in 2017-2018 then it was in 1987-1988. This is due to inflation.
• When there are recessions or state budgets are tight, you can expect an increase. Between 2007-08 and 2012-13, tuition raised 27% by the rate of inflation for 4 year universities and 25% for 2 year colleges.
• According to University of California Admissions, over 2/3s of students receive aid of over 16,000. Even then that barely covers half the cost if your a commuter. If you dorm it is more expensive. Just the pay of tuition is about 34,000 but that depends on different UCs.
• Collegecalc.org states that in 2015-16 school year for CSULA, tuition was only 5,472 a year and was 75% cheaper then other 4 year universities. CSULA ranks 8th in California for affordability and is the 174th most expensive university in the state.

Personal

My parents are both Mexican and their highest education level was high school. They did not get to finish. I am a first generation college student who wants to succeed and open the gateway for my family and future generations. In order to have a better life, live in a better neighborhood, buy a home and car, and start a family education is the key. You get a  higher salary and start a career or work in something that you love. I am lucky enough to have financial aid and have my classes paid off without me putting a single cent. However, I have many friends who did not have this option and had to pay out of pocket or work. There are also many students who have to work in order to pay for their classes. I believe everyone deserves a chance for a higher education and should not have to pay thousands of dollars simply to attend. 

Gathering Evidence

My goal and call to action is to inform family's and high school students of how expensive the cost of a university can be. This is an issue as my four years at CSULA i have witnessed tuition costs and raises on campus. This is going to keep continuing and i doubt it will stop. If everyone in the community can get involved and get informed on representatives who want to fund schools, perhaps we can get them into office. We can also send letters to our district representatives as they can get informed and have the power to make change. Lastly, to let families know that if they want their child to attend a university they might want to save up from the start.

"I am currently attending Mount Saint Mary's University. The cost of tuition affected me because I had to be on a budget and sacrifice many things. I had to sacrifice not having a car because of gas, insurance, and parking permits. I didn't have enough for books, food, and personal needs. On top of this I had to pay out of pocket fees. I had to commute in 3 trains and shuttles to get to campus. I lacked sleep and wasted about 2 hours commuting. However, the mount offered me a great quality of education and amazing internship opportunities. Being low income motivated me to finish my degree and not slack off. I felt that my degree was an investment and I had to fulfill it. I was able to experience a private institution education. I had many jobs and amazing professors. The cost of tuition is an issue, but we have to make the most of it to follow our dreams, goals, and aspirations".  - Ericka Diaz, 22

"Tuition cost for a low income family like my own is pretty hard but easy to afford as there are a few financial aids that are granted, but some are not. Having to pay for tuition and books is pretty pricy but it is affordable and its worth it in the long run. Even though tuition is a problem and not everyone is going to be able to afford it."- Jesus Campos, 21



"The cost of tuition is too high. I have been going to Cal State Northridge for two years but had to take spring semester because i did not have any money. I do not have enough money to dorm so I have to commute everyday due to paying to much for tuition. Because tuition is high I do not have enough money for a parking pass, which makes me waste valuable time finding parking instead of studying. The tuition problem is something that needs to be addressed because students struggle with money every semester."- Erick Olvera, 20

References: 

• http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/california/california-state-university-los-angeles/
• http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/tuition-and-cost/index.html
• https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/96791/2018_03_08_tuition_and_state_appropriations_finalizedv2.pdf