College-bound students may be anxious about the rigorous academics in large lecture halls or dread waking up for an early morning class, but affordability appears to be on the top of their list of stress factors. College tuition is reaching new highs like the bulls on Wall Street, but unlike the financial market, there is no market correction in sight for college tuition fees.
The University of California: Office of the President released an interesting history on tuition fees over the years. For instance, an undergraduate in the year 2000 would have paid $2,716 per year for tuition as a California resident, and the minimum wage in California at the time was $6.25. A student who worked 10 hours a week for 45 weeks/year would have earned over $2,800 of gross income – not too bad for someone who wanted to pay the tuition fee independently.
Fast forward to 2016, a student working the same number of hours with a $10.00 minimum wage will make $4500, but the average tuition fee is over $13,000––a significant gap for those who wish to support themselves without having to worry about student loans. While this model is overly simplistic and could use some help from Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, it is largely intended to highlight the economic woes our college students face today, a high debt that affects their well-being and mental health.
Not all students will have that stuffed piggy bank and the generous goodwill of their parents. However, quite a few may be eligible for scholarships and financial aid that will help meet their monetary needs. Find out how by attending the City of Pleasanton’s Community Education Series workshop on “Funding Your College Education” on September 28 at 7:00 PM in the Pleasanton Public Library. Andrea Silas, Financial Aid Advisor from U.C. Berkeley, will cover the basics of financial aid, eligibility, information and resources for student aid and more in her presentation.
For more information, call 925-931-5359 or see the ptownlife.org events page. To register, visit pleasantonfun.com and enter the course code “63580” in the search bar.
http://ucop.edu/operating-budget/_files/fees/documents/history_fees.pdf