NEW HAMPSHIRE – “The best that money can buy.” A phrase often seen along sidecar dealership ads or in flyers from appliance retailers.
Now it’s a term college students can use when referring to their educations. You can get the best if you have the money to buy it.
Tuition costs the past few years have been on the rise with New Hampshire being one of the states to hike up tuition costs the most.
Here at PSU, the cost of tuition has almost doubled in the last six years. According to the 1999-2000 course catalog, full time resident tuition was $3,830 per semester.
Non-resident was $9,140. In a report of the estimated costs for the 2006-2007 academic years, resident tuition has risen to $5,780, non-resident to $13,050, and that’s not including mandatory fees or room costs.
The cost of higher education is rising, and the income of many families is staying the same. The only answer to the “How will I pay for college” question is “student loans” and student loans mean one thing: Debt.
Student loan debt is a large problem for every college graduate, but those whose wallets are pinched the most are students who choose to go into public service professions, such as teaching and social work.
“I’ll probably end up taking on an analyst job for some corporate giant before I do any social work, I’d eventually like to help youth centers, counsel runaways.” Said Mike Spencer, a second year Social Work major, “But I’ll have loans to pay off, and counseling doesn’t make big money.”
Spencer estimated that by the end of his college career, he would be about $23,000 in debt, which is close to the average entry-level pay for a social worker. And Spencer is not alone.
According to a report released last Wednesday by New Hampshire Public Interest Research Group, there are a large number of students in the United States whose debt is preventing them from taking on Public Service jobs. They simply can not afford to work in a service field.
The problem is worse in New Hampshire than any other state, according to the report. More than half of four-year graduates from New Hampshire public colleges will not be able to manage their student loan debt on a teacher’s salary, compared with 23 percent nationally.
The NHPIRG study looked at the cost of college tuition in each state, and the salaries of public service jobs as well.
The report states that declining federal aid, sky-rocketing tuition costs, and rising interest rates mean that students are accumulating more debt to pay for their education.
For many students, it would be impossible to afford student loan payments on a public service salary while paying for the essentials: rent, food and health care.
“Public servants like teachers and social workers are vital to the success of our communities,” said Erika Staaf of NHPIRG in a press release. “Unfortunately, highstudent loan debt can prevent many students from embarking on these critical yet low-paying careers.”
The report focuses on teaching and social work because they represent critical professions that are typically low-paying” said Staaf. Other professions listed were journalism, ministry and the arts.
“I’m lucky to not have accumulated too much debt, I have a few scholarships” Said Heather Pitt, a third year childhood studies major from New York, who aspires to be an elementary school teacher. “But I can see how a lot of debt would make a person re-think their career path.”
“The University System of New Hampshire launched its Affordable College Effort this year to help our neediest New Hampshire students with the direct costs of college during their first year at one of our institutions. This is a positive, but small step forward in terms of addressing the affordability issue,” said Mathew Cookson, Associate Vice Chancellor for the New Hampshire college system, in a press release. In February, Congress passed a $12 billion cut to the student loan programs, with the cost coming mostly at the expense of parents and students.
Facts and figures on student debt:One-Third: percentage of four year college graduates in the nation who left school with student loan debt in 1993Two-thirds: Percentage of four year college graduates in the nation who left school with student loan debt in 2004$17,000: National average for student loan debt among four-year graduates$21,000: Average student loan debt among four-year New Hampshire graduates $31,704: national average starting salary for a teacher in 2004.$27,000: approximate starting salary for a teacher in New Hampshire. Sources: Public Interest Research Group and the University System of New Hampshire.