Warung Bebas

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

College Selection, Finds Survey, Often Coming Down To Cost

By Cornelius Nunev


A survey by scientists at the University of California, LA found that cost is becoming more of an issue in college selection. This shouldn't be too surprising, as federal loan funding is drying up as tuition is going up, alongside the truth that it should be in the first place.

Students make price essential

University selection is a pretty big deal. There are a ton of things to consider. Distance from home is a large one. Getting there, moving in and subsequent trips home during the holidays involves a lot of logistics. Academics are another, as one certainly doesn't want a worthless degree from a diploma mill and certain colleges are known for specializing in particular fields. Campus life is another, because quite frankly college can get uninteresting.

It might be a poor choice to pick a college that is not co-ed.

Another consideration is cost. According to USA Today, a recent UCLA study found it is fast becoming the largest factor in university selection. It should be; one shouldn't pay more for a degree that's just as good somewhere cheaper.

Many have to think about it

This survey was done two years ago by UCLA scientists, and it showed 62.1 percent of respondents made the decision based on economic factors. This year, the findings increased to 66.6 percent of students. About 283 colleges and 193,000 freshmen were interviewed.

About 43.3 percent said they looked at the cost of attendance. About 9.5 percent said a lack of financial aid helped them choose while 13.4 percent said the decision had to do with it being unaffordable.

Students should look at costs

The Wall Street Journal reports that the cost of tuition has increased by 13 percent since the 2007-2008 school years, and that is just at non-profit colleges. Public universities saw a 27 percent increase in the cost of tuition, according to the University Board. This is why price should be factor students consider when picking a school.

It is also significant to look at the net being paid since more colleges are offering grants and scholarships. There was actually a 4 percent decrease in what students really paid out of pocket for private non-profit universities and an 18 percent increase for public universities and colleges, which is not nearly as bad as you might think. People end up getting more loans as seniors though since most colleges offer more grants and scholarships in the beginning.

Grads going without work

The joblessness and underemployment rates combined equal about 53 percent of recent grads, according to the Atlantic. That is really bad news. The good news is that people with a degree in general end up with less unemployment, a rate at around 4.4 percent, and more job opportunities. As long as a recent graduate can really get the job, they are anticipated to keep working most of the time.

About two thirds of all grads had student debt averaging around $26,600, according to the Project on Student Debt which did a survey in 2011.

With the bad joblessness rates and students having more debt, it makes sense that they would be more concerned with the price of school.




About the Author:



0 comments em “College Selection, Finds Survey, Often Coming Down To Cost”

Post a Comment

 

affiliate Copyright © 2014 -- Powered by Blogger