It is common knowledge that education is important for those people who aim high in this life, who want to get a lucrative job one day and become specialists in this or that area. These days people keep to the point that higher education is not cheap and that it is accessible not to all the layers of the population. Most people do not even consider an opportunity of obtaining appropriate education because what they hear all the time is that studying at college or university is very expensive and not every family can afford to pay so much money for the tuition. Without even checking the information some people refuse to even try to enter the universities frightened by the fact how much money they will have to pay for education. It is a very controversial issue as it is not easy to prove to people that they are wrong. To convince them that higher education is easily accessible seems to be a real problem. There is a number of ideas people tend to run away with but some proof can be given to the fact that studying at the university is not so expensive as most people think.
The first idea people run away with is that studying at the university takes a great deal of money since the tuition is very high. It should be pointed out that the students who attend a state university do not have to pay the full cost of their education which seems to be unknown to most people who continue emphasizing the expensiveness of higher education. Not everybody knows that three-quarters of all the expenses, which is 75%, are covered by the state. The students get fees for their studies which almost completely refund the money spent for tuition. The fees are given for instruction, student activities, intercollegiate sports, thus the student gets an almost full refund for the money spends on tuition. As a result “students pay very low tuition and fees” (University of Florida). This testifies to the fact that most people are wrong thinking that high tuition is a sufficient reason to reject getting higher education as such.
Secondly, tuition is increasing all the time but it is not so terrifying as it may seem at the first sight. There is no wonder that if the tuition is increased “up to 15 percent a year at all state universities” (Bill Kaczor) people may think that it is not affordable anymore to study. Jumping to conclusions without giving proper thinking to the situation is a common fault of most people. If the government puts “higher education out of students’ reach” (Bill Kaczor) it is sure to cause certain disturbances among people who study or plan to study at the university this is why some measures will necessarily be taken. Thus the situation will get solved by itself which proves that the concerns of most people are groundless and there is absolutely no need to stop considering higher education as a part of further life. If somebody wants to reduce the number of people studying at the universities there is no need to give them a possibility to do this. Raising tuition is just a mere scaring off those who are not bold enough to hold their ground. The government is perfectly aware of the fact that “more education leads to increased prosperity” (George Leaf) and it is interested in giving its citizens a chance to obtain this education.
And finally, everything depends on the university one is applying to. Running away with the idea that studying, in general, is expensive most people stop considering any kinds of opportunities. Prestigious universities offering high-quality education with law tuition at this really exist and Florida’s universities are in the first ranks to be considered: “Tuition for a full year of college education in Florida is cheaper than sending a 4-year-old to daycare” (Bill Kaczor). Tuitions for studying at Florida universities “are among the nation’s lowest” (Bill Kaczor) which gives everybody a chance to get higher education. This is the final proof of the fact that those people who state that higher education is not affordable simply do not have a strong enough desire to obtain it.
All in all, sufficient evidence was given to the fact that most people have a wrong idea about the system of higher education, especially when it comes to paying money for tuition. People who have a strong desire to be educated and live the life they deserve do have a chance to enter the university regardless of how much money they have. Striving to be educated should prevail over the fears one might have. Moreover, the fears which arise because of high tuition for studies in fact turn out to be either an exaggeration or lack of information. Taking into consideration all the facts stated above it can be concluded that higher education is indeed less expensive than people imagine and those who want to obtain it should be guided only by verified data.
Works Cited
- Bill Kaczor. “Fla. governor embraces college tuition increases”. Associated Press. 2008.
- Measuring University Performance Series. 1996. University of Florida.
- George Leaf. “Are Government “Investments” in Higher Education Worthwhile?” Library of Economics and Liberty. 2008. Web.