Rachael Collins

6119 Locust St.

Philadelphia PA, 19139
November 19, 2015
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Government Official:
Pursing higher education fosters a plethora of opportunities following commencement.
However, the prices of these institutions are again on the rise across the country,
making it tougher to reach the college level. Allow me to briefly grab your attention as I
voice my support for reducing the price of colleges and Universities in the US? I am an
advocate for the reduction of tuition because it is a detriment to individuals that would
like to further their education. To explain: It is financially stifling for the Lower and
Middle classes; the degrees are decreasing in value, and it is stunting the growth of the
economy.
Surely you are aware of the compromising position that the lower and middle class
families are put in when it comes down to paying for a college education. I live in a lowincome household where my mother is a single parent, so funding my college education
is a constant struggle. This goes for many lower class citizens; therefore, this leaves an
individual fending for their own; attempting to acquire multiple scholarships, which
requires separate essays that interfere with schoolwork and other responsibilities. Not
every individual is good at creating that balance. Moreover, Middle class citizens are not
eligible for financial aid this leaves them to having to except loans because there income
still isnt enough to pay for a full tuition. According to research, about two thirds of
college students graduate with student loans. Students today, fall tens of thousands of
dollars into debt, a burden that limits their career choices. Furthermore, research proves
that lower income families have the tails end of this situation; lower income families only
received 2% of $70 billion dollars that was spent on subsidizing higher education,
while 13% went to wealthier families making over $100,000.
Besides the fact that the cost is taxing on the struggling families, the value of a
Bachelors degree is diminishing. In saying that, the price that one is paying to attend
college, just to receive a degree that is diminishing in value, is cruel. There are many
individuals that are going back to college to attain a higher degree because they cannot
find an exceptional job with their Bachelors degree; that cost is now added to the loans
that they already have to pay back. Resources say that because of the diminishing value
of a Bachelors degree after adjusting for inflation, graduates earned no more in 2007
than they did in 1979. Take a minute to think about the thousand, or maybe even
millions of individuals who are struggling from loans that they took out for a degree that
they thought was going to benefit them in the end.

Lastly, the overpriced tuition is stunting the growth of our environment. You should take
into consideration that reducing the price of tuition will allow it to be accessed by more
people and reduce drop out rates. The higher degree that they earn will grant them a high
paying job, the generous amount of money that they will be making from that high
paying job is going back into the economy as they spend more from their lavish
paychecks. Moreover, according to Robert Samuels, research show that, the government
would be saving billions of dollars by avoiding the cost of nonpayment of loans,
servicing and subsidizing them, and borrowers default.
To conclude, the price of tuition is not only a problem that the citizen s have to deal with,
but clearly the government as well. It would be a great idea to take this issue into
consideration.
Sincerely,
Rachael Collins

Works Cited

Hayden, Tom. "We Can't Afford to Be Quiet About the Rising Cost of College." Editorial.
Chronicle of Higher Education 28 Mar. 2010, Opinion & Ideas sec.: n. pag. Chronicle of
Higher Education. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Hutchison, Jennifer. "No Aid For You: Cheating the Middle Class | Commonplace." No
Aid For You: Cheating the Middle Class | Commonplace. University of Cincinnati, 2011.
Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Samuels, Robert. Why Public Higher Education Should Be Free: How to Decrease Cost
and Increase Quality at American Universities. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Not What It Used to Be; Higher Education." Economist (US) 1 Dec. 2012: n. pag. Web.
Johnson, Jenna. "Majority of College Dropouts Cite Financial Struggles as Main Cause."
Washington Post. The Washington Post, 09 Dec. 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.