At a time when a college degree is recognized as a necessity and not just a luxury, the fact that rising tuition l made inaccessible to so many people is shocking. Over the years, it seems that the price of a college education has gotten a little too carried away. Decades ago, the decision to pursue higher education was a way to secure one's future and help one survive in the world. Today, it appears that students are beginning to understand that this is a way to obtain substantial debt in hopes of leaving the country. with a diploma. While the cost of tuition remains about six percent higher than the national inflation rate, one must ask whether it's worth attending college. When looking at tuition costs for a private four-year university, the average price was $31,231, compared to a public four-year college where the average price was around $9,139. Taking into account normal 1971 inflation rates, a private university would have only charged their students $1,832, and a public college would not have even cost the student $500, as mentioned in the article John Schoen wrote on CNBC. com. That said, it's no surprise that this has led many low-income families to view college as inaccessible and find themselves seeking careers that don't require a degree. As tuition costs continue to rise over the years, it has become difficult for students to earn a degree without incurring heavy student debt. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mary Bromley, writer for Cornerstone. edu, mentions that most students will accept any help they can get their hands on once it is offered to them. In doing so, they may not appreciate the long-term financial risks they will incur once they obtain that degree. In doing so, we have managed to accumulate student debt that currently exceeds $1. 5 trillion dollars. This is a huge jump from 2010, when debt was still incredibly high, but hovered around $830 billion. It also marked the year that student debt finally surpassed our nation's credit card debt, which stood at $825 billion, as Jennifer Wadia mentioned about credit relief. student debt. We. Meanwhile, students think that the debt will be repaid on time as soon as they get a high-paying job, so they don't pay attention to it when accepting them. The saddest part of all this is that some of the students who incur these debts end up dropping out, for reasons that vary for each student, but are still burdened by the student debts they incurred while in school. Although tuition has played a significant role in the decision of those seeking to attend school, it has also remained a major factor in college graduation rates as these have begun to decline. decline over the years. According to Adam Mantilla, writer for Northwesternbusinessreview. org, in 1995, the United States ranked first in graduation rates among the thirty-five member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unfortunately, since then, the United States has managed to slip down to number nineteen on this list. Furthermore, in doing so, the United States has been able to boast a higher graduation rate..