Higher education is under siege, with many students and parents balking at high costs. In a series of op-eds, university leaders lay out their efforts to keep college affordable. This is the first in the series.
For many people across the country, paying for college is the largest investment they will ever make. Increasingly, it’s one that feels out of reach.
Over the past two decades, tuition and fees at private, national universities have jumped by 112 percent; at some “elite” and highly selective schools the annual cost of attendance now approaches $100,000.
It should come as no surprise that public confidence in higher education has declined, something I heard directly from students when I served as U.S. secretary of education under President Obama. They understandably started to question whether they would be getting an adequate return on their investment.
That led us to launch the College Scorecard in 2015 to give families easy access to data on the value of college, and to fight against predatory for-profit colleges that leave students with debt and no paths to a better career.
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Yet, in the years that have followed, skepticism has only grown louder. Despite a report from the U.S. Committee on Education and Labor finding that associate degree holders can make up to $400,000 more than high school graduates over the course of their lives — and bachelor’s degree holders up to $1 million more — attending college is no longer a “default” option for many high school grads.
If higher education is to rebuild public trust, affordability can’t be an afterthought. It must be at the center of our strategic focus.
Prospective college students want to be confident that a degree will be financially attainable and that it will lead to opportunities after graduation. Among students who are already in college, the pressure is real: 31 percent have considered dropping out because of costs, and more than half report struggling to pay monthly bills. And it’s not just young people: 85 percent of adults who either dropped out or never enrolled in higher education say cost is a major reason why.
This is about more than higher education. It’s about the future of the American economy. By 2031, an estimated 72 percent of jobs in the United States will require some form of postsecondary education or training. If we fail to make college affordable and accessible, we risk leaving millions of talented people behind — and weakening our nation’s ability to compete in a rapidly changing economic environment.
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It doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve seen firsthand how a different approach can make a difference. At the State University of New York (SUNY), for example, a statewide tuition freeze at our four-year campuses has helped ensure that families can plan for the cost of college tuition — which is just $7,070 per year — without fear of sudden increases.
But affordability requires more than controlling tuition or the cost of course materials; when students can’t afford essentials, education can fall by the wayside. That’s why New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also invested in wraparound supports, including those that address food insecurity and a lack of child care, critical barriers that too often inhibit students’ progress.
Initiatives like SUNY Reconnect, a free community college program that covers tuition, fees, books and supplies for adults 25 to 55 years old pursuing associate degrees in high-demand fields, are also opening doors for many who once believed a postsecondary degree was out of reach.
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These programs are a win-win for students and schools. At a time when many institutions worry about declining enrollment, SUNY enrollment has grown by 6.5 percent over the past three years.
Similar efforts are gaining traction nationwide. Michigan and Tennessee, for example, both offer some form of tuition-free community college program, expanding access for millions of students.
While this progress is inspiring, isolated programs across a patchwork of states will not be enough. If higher education is serious about rebuilding public trust, affordability must become a sustained, systemwide commitment.
That means keeping tuition predictable, expanding need-based aid, addressing basic needs like food, housing, transportation and child care, and ensuring the students who start college finish their degrees. It also means making the value of college clearer and more transparent, so students and families can make informed decisions with confidence.
Public trust will not be restored by rhetoric alone. It will be rebuilt when students across the country can see that college is within reach, and that the opportunity it promises is real.
John B. King Jr. is the chancellor of the State University of New York and, under President Barack Obama, served as the 10th U.S. secretary of education.
Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org.
This story about public trust in higher education was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
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