Did the Cost of College Derail Educational Opportunities?

We've always been taught that the best way to a better life is a college education. But along the way, the process of giving an education impacted the benefit of getting one.  

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That was the first thing I thought of when I saw an article yesterday from The Morning Brew that talked about colleges facing decline and the future didn’t look bright.  

The article was called “Why Do Colleges Cost So Much? It quoted a stat from the National Center for Educational Statistics that between 1963 and 2021, the cost of a four-year education went up 165%.  

So, what contributes to the increase in cost?  Demand, Inflation and a reduction in state funding are listed as contributing reasons. With there being a demand, schools tried to stand out to prospective students by offering more amenities and people to oversee those bells and whistles.   

Of course, those amenities usually require construction and technology which brings a nice price tag with it. One of the big problems with that is that enrollment has been on the decline for the last fourteen years.  

So, it would appear for some colleges, the money spent to attract students has not paid off.  

Then add in the pandemic, the article says that most colleges and universities had not recovered from Covid, and probably would never get back to where they were before.  

That has led to cuts in programs, faculty and staff. Cutting programs is like when you cut sports teams, you become less attractive to a percentage of the student base. Cutting the right programs is a bit of a risk, will it work? 

Locally, St. Cloud State University cut 42 Degree programs which included: Music, Criminal Justice, Physics, and Economics. 50 Minor programs were also cut at St. Cloud State. Reports state that the school had a $18 million dollar loss in 2023 and expected another $15 million dollar shortfall in 2024. 

This was after cutting the football program, men’s and women’s golf in 2019, and men’s track and field, cross-country and tennis programs.   

Similar cuts have taken place around the country, more so with Majors, Minors, Faculty and Staff.  

These cuts aren't limited to St. Cloud State, The Morning Brew reports that West Virginia University cut 143 jobs, some of which were tenured, as well as10 undergraduate programs and 18 graduate programs.

Does this mean education is not needed anymore? Hardly! This is why I am a big proponent of Community and Technical Colleges and Trade Schools.  

There is a shortage of skilled trade labor that vocational programs in high school and the schools mentioned above can help offer education, training and job placement.  

If you’ve got a child who will be graduating high school in the next few years, they and you should really consider the Community College route. And not just for the cost factor, but to allow your child time to decide what they want to do or see if they really want to do what they think they do.