Introduction of the Issue (Rising College Tuition)

The issue of rising tuition in American colleges has become a major problem in recent years. This issue has long-term effects, which some can have a continuous financial hold on current and former students. These effects would include: high student debt, higher dropout rates, and fewer students enrolling in college. Even though with these effects currently happening, many think it is good that tuition is rising. Plus, by knowing commonly used terms, many will gain a more clear understanding of issue. With college tuition on the rise, it is important that people are educated on the topic. 

To begin with, there are individuals who believe that college tuition is too high and unaffordable, therefore should be lowered or remove tuition costs all together. They believe that by doing either of the two, college will be affordable and give an equal opportunity of education to many. Although these things would be largely beneficial to many, there are some individuals who believe that tuition is not high enough and it should be raised. With state budget cuts, colleges will have to rely on tuition to replenish what they have lost. 

In order to understand the topic, many need to know common used words. The words that are being introduced are “need to know” words. Tuition is the amount of money that is priced for a higher education, normally used for colleges and universities. According to the Oxford Dictionary, inflation is “[…] Great or undue expansion or enlargement; increase beyond proper limits; esp. of prices, the issue of paper money.” In other words, inflation is when a price is expanded and the cost of something is made higher than the original cost. The term “spike” is a “large upward or downward movement of a price or value level in a short period”. Financial aid is any money, such as grants, loans, and scholarships, which is given to students through the government, businesses, organizations, and colleges.  

Student loans are the loans provided to students and is used as financial aid to pay for school. And according to the government site StudentLoans.gov, a student loan is “Money you borrow for school and must repay with interest.” This definition provided leads into one of the main problems with rising tuition, student debt. As stated by Investopedia, it is the “money owed on a loan taken out to pay for educational expenses. Rapidly rising college tuition costs have made student debt the only option to pay for college for many students.” In simpler terms, student debt is the money owed by the student to the government and due to spikes in college tuition prices, many student rely more and more to help pay for their education.  

In closing, rising college tuition has both pro and con entities, which provides resolutions to the issue. Without knowledge of the topic, a person would have a tough time attempting to understand the basis of what is being read. And that is why it is important for them to specifically know what they are reading about. 

Bibliography 

"Inflation, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 March 2015. 

"Student Debt Definition | Investopedia." Investopedia. 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/student-debt.asp>. 

"StudentLoans.gov." StudentLoans.gov. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/glossary.action>.