Druthi Naveen is a student at Cumberland Valley and an intern in the 2025 summer program of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg and PennLive
They tell us that we are all so young, with so much ahead of us and close to nothing behind us. Yet we’re supposed to tell you who we are based on a 500-word essay. To infuse those words with our hopes and dreams and sprinkle between the lines room for growth and incidents that have made us stronger.
For many students across the world, college is the ultimatum, the last step. And it is interesting to me that colleges are among the worst-run institutions in the world. There are allegations of corruption and back-alley uses of federal funding. Our higher education is under threat, from inflated tuition costs, questions about federal funding, and alleged discriminatory practices that put some students at a disadvantage in the system. This is a system where we entrust our next generation; we should take better care of it.
Money is always complicated, how much of it is involved and how much is really needed, and a huge issue about money is transparency. We see it a lot in higher education today, especially in inflated tuition costs. To understand why we are seeing inflated tuition costs, we must understand what tuition is and what it covers.
College tuition ensures your enrollment, and the price you pay for classes, but you additionally have to pay for textbooks, living accommodations, and any school fees. And we have seen these extra fees along with college tuition skyrocket.
A study by “The College Board” states public universities have seen as much as a 25% increase in tuition, and private schools have seen as much as 31%. So why are we seeing such a big jump in tuition costs? While economic inflation is one reason, another big reason is noninstructional staff.
These are individuals on college campuses who are there to promote things like mental health and diversity. While in theory this should help students, it has been prominently leading to a scenario called “administrative bloat.” This phenomenon is when administrative staff increases costs exponentially and decreases efficiency.
“The American Council for Trustees and Alumni” states that administrative spending has increased almost 61% per student between the years of 1993-2007. The consequences of this inflation are even seen in top universities that balance on the edge of falling into administrative bloat. This isn’t just a small issue; it is the issue of student loans and the debt that students will carry far into adulthood.
With the national student loan debt rising to 47.962 billion dollars in 2024 and totaling in the U.S at 1.777 trillion dollars, we are starting to see an increase in costs. We are already seeing an unaffordable spike, with a decrease in the quality of education, and we must provide reform.
One big issue involve is many students do not fully understand the system and think the sticker cost is what they must pay for college. Costs should be more transparent, and colleges should educate families on the financial aid available.
It is a long-disputed question as to whether universities and higher education are actually businesses out to make a profit. And there are allegations that these businesses are using federal funds without benefiting students. There even are allegations of outright financial aid fraud.
