Why is it so expensive for a college degree? There is this big political topic of free education for all that is being used as leverage to obtain votes from those who are not able to afford it, and those who just want the entitlements. What would happen if the classes required to graduate were actually focused on the scope of work? A mechanical engineer degree should not require study in biology, or a foreign language, or anthropology etc. The amount of time and energy that is literally wasted studying unrelated topics drives costs up for no justified reason. Education could be made easily affordable if it actually focused on the real skills and knowledge to be proficient in the type of work desired. I happen to be a below knee amputee who wears a prosthetic leg. I cannot legally build and fit another person with a prosthesis because I do not have the required license, which to obtain I would have to have college degree. Yet the largest companies who build lower limb prosthetics were the biggest setback in my life. I ended up building my own leg and modifying a foot so that I was no longer in pain and could function normally. My point is, why the heck should we pay the bill to cover free education when most of the cost is simply wasted money. Wages would be higher if a graduate was properly trained and the employer did not have to invest time teaching the fundamentals that were not taught. Four years for a degree is ridiculous, especially when it is required for the type of industry and the person is trained incorrectly.
One reason is competition between universities. Schools have to have the newest dorms, the best student athletic centers, and the most advanced research facilities. These things add up and cost incoming freshman big time.
UNNECESSARY? How else would libs program the childrenâŚand AOC is the perfect exampleâŚamirite?
As usual, itâs the conservatives that are criticizing higher learning.
From the point of view that we should all be trained up to be good worker bees to boot.
Here are a few related articles specifically regarding the cost of college:
Peter Morici: America is over-investing in higher education
Trumpâs spot-on apprenticeships offer a sorely needed alternative to pricey traditional higher education.
The Scholarship System â 13 Dec 18
The Real Reasons Why College Tuition is So High and What you Can Do About it -âŚ
College costs are skyrocketing and it only seems to be getting worse. Here are the real reasons college tuition is rising and what can be done about it.
Why does college cost so much? - CNN
College costs too much, both for students and for society as a whole, says Richard Vedder, and higher education is ripe for innovation.
Study: Increased student aid, not faculty salaries, drives tuition up
A new study asserts that increased student aid, not faculty salaries or state cutbacks, drives prices higher.
I know, right? If only all children were homeschooled, and spent a few hours a day listening to Rush and Sean and Mark, followed by some Fox News at 11, weâd have zero crime, coal jobs would be jumping, and we could dump arsenic and lead into our waterways with no repercussions.
To answer your question, itâs because our federal government has stuck its nose in. This began under President Lyndon B. Johnsonâs âGreat Societyâ and student loans.
JWK
Karl Marx popularized the word âcapitalismâ __ a word unknown to our foundersâ __ to attack the free market system our founders created. Why do so many talking heads refer to our system as âcapitalismâ rather than a free market system which our founders created? Do they fear and recoil from the word âfreeâ like Marx did?
Youâve got me all wrong my friend. 
If only there was some type of price control.
Its mostly because the government will keep giving out money without price control and the school know they can keep increasing the cost and the government will keep issuing loans.
but the government make profit off loans so they donât care.
My son was a Politics major and History minor.
His first job was with a Fortune 200 corporation where he was accepted into their Exec Management training program. Only 10 applicants were accepted. He had zero classes in business as his college was a LAC who does not even offer that major. He left after 1 1/2 years to go to a tech start up, He has had 3 promotions since he started there in Jan â17 and his company is paying for him to get an Exec MBA.
He likely makes more money then many people on this board and he is only 25.
Businesses want employees who can think critically and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They donât care what your major was in college.
I pretty much agree with that.
JWK
This is from the fourth article I posted:
"Higher educationâs critics tend to blame high prices on overpaid professors or fancy climbing walls. At public colleges, lobbyists tend to blame reductions in state support. But a new study places the blame elsewhere: the ready availability of federal student aid.
Student aid accounts for most of the tuition increases between 1987 and 2010, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The more money students can borrow, the idea goes, the more colleges can charge.
Over the last few decades, the amount of aid available to students has increased dramatically: subsidized loans were expanded, while an unsubsidized loan program made its debut. But looking at the big picture, does that money always offset the costs to students?
The researchers say no. Instead, colleges increase tuition even more, because they know financial aid can cover the difference. Student aid may cover more of studentsâ tuition â but if the aid wasnât available, tuition might not have gone up in the first place."
Who knew 18 years of parenting, guidance, and living under the opinions and viewpoints of ones parents could just be completely wiped out in a mere 4 years at your friendly neighborhood college or university.
Why do they charge so much for college education? Because they can.
I had started a similar thread some time back about the cost of college. Iâd said that when I went to my major private big city university, the cost of tuition room and board was about 1/4 to 1/5 of the median family income, which made it possible for a family to tighten the belt, put money away and pay for college. Not easy, but doable. Now that same universityâs tuition, room and board costs are 110% the median family income which means nearly every student has to take out loans to go there. Loans have replaced savings as the route to pay for college.
As long as colleges believe that they are going to be paid no matter who funds it or how itâs funded (taxpayers, taxes) there is no motivation to examine exactly why colleges have become unaffordable without significant debt. A rational mind will always look to the âwhyâ of a problem. Maybe thatâs why nobody in congress seems motivated to explore the issue.
A mechanical engineer is not required to âstudy in biology, or a foreign language, or anthropology etc.ââŚ
Your thread makes little to no sense considering it is predicated on the above⌠it appears you have little experience with higher education and are confusing it with K-12 (which I agree could have more trade focus).
And yes, college is too expensive, especially for those who make stupid decisions like going out of state to a private college with no aid, or other ridiculous paths that lead to a 100K in debt and the same piece of paper that 95% of jobs could care less what is listed at the top.
I didnât go to engineering school but for my BS in biochemistry I took two years of foreign language, creative writing and a host of other humanities.
I think it made me a better person.
Here is an explanation from one of the articles I posted earlier:
Like health care, prices are rising rapidly for higher education because of the predominant role of third-party payments â federal student loans and grants, state government support for institutions and students, private philanthropic gifts and endowment income. College seniors who borrow to finance their education now graduate with an average of $24,000 in debt, and student loan debt now tops credit card debt among Americans. When some else is paying a lot of the bills, students are less sensitive to the price, thus allowing the colleges to care less about keeping prices under control. And the nonprofit nature of institutions reduces incentives for colleges and universities to be efficient.
Part of the problem is that colleges have no skin in the game either. Make colleges financially back student loans and lets see how fast things change.
In some cases yes. In many cases no. Ex: would you hire an entry level accountant with a dance degree? Some companies may. Youre son must work for a great company. But the beuracracies of corporate HRâŚ
