College education free in America
The average college education will cost between $2,076 for a two-year public college to $20,082 for a private four-year college. This is even before factoring in the costs of room and board, books, transportation and a thousand other things. It can definitely be a bank-breaker, and some American students, swamped by loans, look with envy at the public education systems of countries where a college education is free.
But there’s a reason why American colleges cost major money. “Offering post-secondary education takes money. The general trajectory is that states have chosen to spend their resources in other areas, such as health care and law enforcement,” says John Schuh, professor and chair of the department of education leadership and policy studies at Iowa State University.
In other words, states receive funds from the government to fund various projects and services they deem worthy, and often things other than higher education receive the bulk of the cash. That means that even public universities have to charge tuition - often less than private schools - in order to stay solvent and grow. More expensive colleges, such as those in the famed Ivy League, charge what may strike some as absurdly high tuition in order to pay for famous faculty, world-renowned labs and libraries, and sprawling campuses.
Fortunately, there is a broad array of loan, scholarship and grant programs to help pay for classes. Many universities subsidize their students through a mixture of financial aid and merit-based scholarships. You might have to pay for a college education in America, but it’s within the reach of almost everyone.