Why is college tuition in the USA so expensive?

[Deleted]

Because mostly in USA are the greatest elitists who will just go eremite after finishing.

[Arthas242]

Sounds like my calc II experience.

I really have no idea how to respond to the suggestion that no notes/calculator is unreasonable. I mean if you can have notes, you may as well just give everyone an A. What the fuck is the point of an exam? That's just in class homework at that point. It's meaningless.

As far as calculators go, starting with calc I, I've taken math classes at a combination of four colleges and universities, and they've all either explicitly banned calculators or designed the tests in a way that keeps them from being useful. I think there might have been a couple of parts in calc I where they were basically needed, but that's about it.

they banned them because anyone with a brain would use a graphing calculator to answer the question in 2 seconds with programmed scripts instead of writing it down step by step for 20 minutes to answer one question..... the problem for me was not the concepts, it was just the length of said questions knowing every step, because 1 wrong step you get everything wrong... in the real world you can answer anything in calc 1-3 with a calculator if you write the correct scripts.

also geometry is probably most useful everyday math i have ever learned as it has helped me with a lot of projects. still have not seen a use for Calc. and there was no need for it in my major except they wanted you to.....

[In Ogres We Trust]

So im writing a paper on why college is so expensive in the U.S. The research I've done so far points to a few major concepts

Baumol's cost disease - While productivity has been rising steadily in most sectors of the economy, teaching has not seen similar improvements. One professor can only teach a class of so many, and higher level classes are expected to limit attendance in order to ensure student access to the faculty. Rising wages without associated productivity gains raises cost disproportionately.


Perverse incentives - US schools all crave high ranking from the US News and World Report publication's annual listing of colleges. One of the primary metrics used is money spent per student. This actually incentivizes schools to spend as much as they can on as few students as possible to increase their ranking. The exact opposite of what we should want to see.


Wasteful spending - Related to the last point, schools now hire an army of administrators that have nothing to do with educating students. Reports have many schools spending more on administrators than on faculty! Dorms are now lavishly appointed and look more like luxury apartments than the kind of simple no-frills housing familiar to people who attended schools decades ago.

Government subsidies - There is no getting around supply and demand. The US government subsidies college tuition because it's expensive, but that causes a malicious cycle. Subsidies raise demand for college, which in turn results in increased tuition, which results in increased subsidies to counteract the higher cost, which raises demand for college, and so on.

Expectation of college degrees - The idea that everyone needs a college degree has become immensely popular in the past decade or two. Students who are not a good fit for college are pressured to go anyway. Many do, since other valid options are not as available as they once were, such as trade schools. (Meanwhile, welding jobs that pay six figures go unfilled while college grads work at Starbucks for lack of better options) Employers require college degrees as a proxy for finding good and reliable employees, despite the fact that many jobs could be ably performed by people without a degree. This raises demand for college unnecessarily, which results in additional price increases.

I was curious as to how MMOC feels about these theirs so far. I'd say the biggest contributing factor that I've seen, is the price increases associated with subsides.

Because the entire system is a scam to rip people off while enslaving them to the system via mass marketing and propaganda that pushes the silly notion that college is for everyone.

[Calfredd]

Because the entire system is a scam to rip people off while enslaving them to the system via mass marketing and propaganda that pushes the silly notion that college is for everyone.

You sound like nanook12 except you probably don't want another civil war just because you hate your job.

[Sky High]

how much do sports programs contribute to this?

[Fang7986]

well at most American college's sports and the team logo are put ahead of actually getting an education. It amazing the number of people I know (who didn't play sports) who picked the college they attended solely on how good the football or another sports team at that school was and how early in the day they could start tailgating i.e. drinking

[Fang7986]

how much do sports programs contribute to this?

bigger schools none because the sports bring in revenue (99% of which just goes back into that sport) It's amazing that in many states the highest paid state employees are the football coaches or coach of another one of the "big 4" sports

[Aori]

Greed, why else?

[ArguesWithStrangers]

Which is precisely why the nearly entirely private healthcare system in the United States costs an order of magnitude more to run per capita than socialist Britain or Australia.

The subsidies really aren't a factor, and if they are they're more symptomatic of the fact that for-profit anything is by nature looking to gouge consumers while giving them as little as possible.

I'm not opposed to single-payer healthcare on principle, but I do think a discussion as to whether we implement one aught to be rational and based around costs versus benefits. Statements like "healthcare is a human right!", it isn't, and "the government should pay for complete comprehensive coverage!", it can't, are just hyperbole and in no way represent a real argument to make an investment of public funds for the public good.

[Kellhound]

~2/3 of university expenses is personnel costs, and the majority of university budgets do not come from tuition.

[Theinquisition]

how much do sports programs contribute to this?

I'm not sure exactly president Sky high. what I can assure you is that the billions of dollars collegiate sports makes is NOT being funneled back into the university to fund improvements.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm not opposed to single-payer healthcare on principle, but I do think a discussion as to whether we implement one aught to be rational and based around costs versus benefits. Statements like "healthcare is a human right!", it isn't, and "the government should pay for complete comprehensive coverage!", it can't, are just hyperbole and in no way represent a real argument to make an investment of public funds for the public good.

you for got the "But..Bernie said" argument kind sir.

[Arthas242]

I'm assuming you're attending lecture and not just staring blankly at the instructor or sleeping the entire time.

lol i did listen, except all i heard was his accent because he was from india, Think Text Support that is run out of india and you can't tell what the person is saying even though it is your main language....


and as i said i was always good at math till calculus when i got problems that took a full page with no notes, i don;t need a calculator other then to save time, and i need notes because i cna;t memorize math, but i understand it, it why anytime i have to use geometry i look up what i need to use to find sizes of certain places/objects for projects like how many bag of rocks/mulch for a floral bed.

[ArguesWithStrangers]

you for got the "But..Bernie said" argument kind sir.

Which is the adult equivalent of my toddler having a meltdown on the floor because we won't let her have anymore cookies.

[wowaccounttom]

not sure how it works at this level, but lets assume you spend 135,000 on school, then you go on and get a "good" 240,000 job

surely in less than 3 years you can pay that off....the remaining time all you do is make money



how is that a bad investment???? the ROI sounds great if you can live with 240,000/year....


the problem afterwards is debt... dont people go on to buy car, house, have kids, and all this unneeded and pointless stuff????? thats why college seems expensive....cant pay it off fast enough

[Nintolak]

College's are effectively the gatekeepers to the upper echelons of Socio-economic life. Knowing that they know they can charge whatever they want. More over college's have worked to attract students via amenities, also there is a vast inflation of college bureaucracies.

The actual pay for professors is relatively low compared to Deans, Chancellors and various management and bureaucratic administrators.

Finally the government doesn't want students to not be indebted, ultimately indebted students make for obedient citizens.

/thread

As long as you pursue a degree with a job market, college is the catalyst for making the jump from lower-middle class to upper-middle class. The cost is only really a burden to people who are in that lower-middle echelon, or people whose parents want their kids to experience what it's like to be in that position.

But obviously it's not just that easy. Go to college, and, POOF! You can live comfortably! No. You're in debt. You're forced to pay that off and to do that you need to get a job right away. The debt is just society's way of really keeping things moving. Don't want those college graduates to get complacent, now do we?

[Sky High]

I'm not sure exactly president Sky high. what I can assure you is that the billions of dollars collegiate sports makes is NOT being funneled back into the university to fund improvements.

mm well if it has to do with salaries that have been previously mentioned, not just coaches but other admins then that needs to be looked at.

[Ninjaturtle]

What I found stupid was how 12 credits is considered full time and al the fafsa is based on that yet I needed 18 credits a semester or take an extra semester for a 2 year course.

Another big issues these days is college isn't about getting a good life style most of the time it just gets you to middle class. Even with it you still cant live comfortably and only some degrees can get you to upper middle class.

[Theinquisition]

What I found stupid was how 12 credits is considered full time and al the fafsa is based on that yet I needed 18 credits a semester or take an extra semester for a 2 year course.

Another big issues these days is college isn't about getting a good life style most of the time it just gets you to middle class. Even with it you still cant live comfortably and only some degrees can get you to upper middle class.

Ouch 18 is a heavy load, good luck.

well to be "rich" typically means that....

1. You have a degree in a specific field that is lucrative I.E. doctor, MBA...that sort of thing

2. You have years of experience

3. You're a entrepreneur

4. You have great connections/work for your family

[PC2]

Greed, why else?

Most of our colleges cost 2x more than they bring in through tuition, they aren't making a profit from students.

[vindicatorx]

Not all of us are fortunate enough to live in the middle of nowhere.

I didn't live in the middle of nowhere when I went to college. I went to Indiana University the main campus has 45,000 students.