Lonzi 1

Angie Lonzi

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp. Pd. 3

11 March 2022

The Truth About Tuition

As a junior in high school, college has been one of the main thoughts on junior’s mind

lately. Especially, the cost of it. Louisiana State University is a dream college of mine, however,

it being out of state, makes the cost of it difficult to attend. Therefore, Penn State has been

another option. In the long run, studies have shown that the cost of college is worth it. Financial

aid is available, as well as scholarships, and those with a degree earn more in a lifetime.

Therefore, students can make do without attending the college of their dreams. Ultimately,

they’ll still end up getting the same degree and knowledge either way.

Furthermore, “The Cost of College: Student Loans in an Evolving Economy”, by

Chandler Joost proves that financial aid is a huge help. In fact, most of the students weren’t even

aware of the number of benefits that come with applying for financial aid; most actually do

qualify for it. The U's financial aid office offers information about alternative student loans on its

website. A student can even fill out a free application provided directly from the federal

government. Joost explains, “The U provides a checklist outlining each option available to

students when considering financial aid.” This makes it easy for students to access and puts off a

ton of stress! Education is an important part of their life and future. Therefore, having financial

aid makes students education plans even more achievable. Financial aid covers expenses such as

fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. Financial aid can also pay for other

1
 Lonzi 2

related expenses, such as a computer and dependent care depending on what all the students will

end up needing.

Even more important, scholarships are also a huge help for paying for tuition. In the

article, “Will that college degree pay off?” Ann Carrns shows how much less money students

will owe the college after deducting grants and scholarships. Almost every college offers a

scholarship based on SAT scores or even students’ overall GPA. For example, Geneva

University offers merit scholarships up to $66,000 just based off their grades! Let alone, all the

extracurricular activities, sports, clubs, and achievements students may have been a part of,

which can give them multiple more scholarships. Geneva also offers a $20,000 scholarship to

people whose GPAs are as little as 2.79! Therefore, it’s important to focus on high school, as it’s

a big preparation for what’s to come in college. The better grades students get, the more money!

These scholarships not only save a ton of money, but also time that it would take to pay that

extra money back to the college. Students could now invest that money on a boat, a house, a car,

etc. This makes the cost of college worth it because some of it can be free depending on how

hard students study for, try for it, and just the way they look at it. Almost all scholarship

organizations send the award directly to students’ college’s financial aid office. The school can

apply it directly towards their bill. Even the money from the scholarship(s) help by allowing to

be more selective with students’ free time. They’ll be able to maximize their college experience

through service-learning, volunteer opportunities and internships. This proves that it’s important

to apply for every scholarship students’ schools offer!

Moreover, those with a degree earn more in a lifetime than high school graduates or

dropouts. For instance, “Is a college degree still worth it?” by Eleni X. Karageorge explains, “A

key reason why a degree remains a relatively valuable asset despite rising tuition is that the

2
 Lonzi 3

wages of those Americans without a degree have been falling, keeping the college wage

premium near an all-time high, according to the report. Between 1970 and 2013, workers with a

bachelor’s degree (excluding those who went on to a postgraduate degree) had annual earnings

of about $64,500 after adjustment for inflation. Workers with an associate degree earned an

adjusted $50,000 per year, and those with only a high school diploma earned $41,000.” Over

four decades, workers with a bachelor’s degree earned an average fifty-six percent more and

workers with an associate degree averaged twenty-one percent more than high school graduates.

Not even including how much more they are earning than those that chose to drop out. Looking

at it this way, the cost of college is certainly worth it. Graduates make a significantly more

amount of money, get more knowledge out of it, and are able to do more activities because of the

extra money. Looking at it in a real-world perspective, majority of jobs today require college

education. Georgetown University predicts that seventy percent of all jobs will require some

college education by 2027. Without higher education on their resume, competition will be tough

to gain a spot for a job. College graduates are also most likely to have health insurance for free as

part of working for their boss! Health care on its own is expensive and without a college degree

most can’t pay for it. It’s also looked at as a “must” therefore, making the cost of college more

than just “worth it.” Having health care can also create a better and healthier life for not only

students, but their family as well.

To conclude, Scholarships are available, as well as financial aid, and those with a degree

earn more in a lifetime. Despite the rising cost of post-secondary education, a college degree still

pays off for the majority of graduates. On average, those with a bachelor's degree earn

significantly more than their peers with only a high school diploma. Add in financial aid and

scholarships, and students are down to even less pay. Therefore, the job students will land, will

3
 Lonzi 4

earn a ton more money than they had before to pay for education. Honestly, just the satisfaction

of what college can make their future look like should make the cost instantly worth it. Students

can get the same degree as a peer in college, have paid a ton less for it, but made their life one

hundred times more worth living by just the dedication. Therefore, a college degree surely has

proven to pay off.

4
 Lonzi 5

Works Cited

Carns, Ann, Will That Degree Pay Off? The New York Times Company, The New York Times,

Aug. 14, 2021. Print. (Ann). (Will That College Degree Pay Off? - Document - Gale Academic OneFile)

Eleni X, Karageorge, Is a college degree still worth it? U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2014.

Print. (Eleni). (https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/beyond-bls/is-a-colleg-degree-still-worth-

it.htm)

Joost, Chandler, The Cost of College: Student Loans in an Evolving Economy. UWIRE Text,

ULOOP Inc, Aug. 29, 2021. Print. (Joost). (The Cost of College: Student Loans in an Evolving

Economy. - Document - Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete)