"Hey dad, can I have some money for college?"

"Sure son, how much money do you need?"

"I need about $35,000."

Clearly there is a problem here. Unless a student attends a public college in the state he resides, where the tuition is about $10,000, then tuition costs per year could be upwards of around $35,000. How can the government expect average-income families be able to afford that much money per year for at least four years? The government needs to regulate the tuition costs or provide more money for families who don’t have a spare $130,000 to send their child to college. Implanting laws or regulations that could limit tuition from being so overbearing.

Tuition rates have skyrocketed in the last two decades. In fact, tuition rates have risen at more than two times the rate of inflation. Things like demand for higher teacher salaries, newer technologies and renovation, and general inflation have justifiably caused tuition to rise. While an increase in tuition has been justified, the problem lies in the extent and amount to which it has been increasing. Rates that rise faster than inflation and costing the same as a Ferrari is unacceptable.

I was put into a situation where the harsh tuition left me stranded. I was accepted at University of Colorado and SUNY Binghamton. The tuition for Colorado was about $35,000 per year and the tuition for Binghamton was about $10,000 per year. I was heavily in favor of attending Colorado, but unfortunately I was left with no choice. After seeing Binghamton I grew to like the school a lot, but ultimately I had no choice because my family could not afford the Colorado tuition.

The solution to every student’s problem lies in the effort of families everywhere. If we want tuition rates to fall or at least stabilize, we need to do more than just complain. Parents and students should try writing to senators, the president, universities, anyone with influence or potential power. Make websites to help capture people’s attention and unite all of us in the battle of making college affordable to everyone. Its not fair to discriminate against non-residents nor is it fair to charge such high tuition to any student.