Dive Brief:
- In a column penned for The Washington Post, Jeffery Selingo offers a three-tiered plan to solve the tuition increase riddle — require schools to publish costs by family contributions and academic offerings, to publish a four-year tuition rate, and to revamp the pricing model for courses in the form of a subscription plan.
- Selingo argues these changes would help families become more informed about the real price of college and make better decisions about which colleges offer the most return on investment post graduation.
- The visions for change, however, do not account for metrics of appropriation cuts, operational increases, or reductions in student aid appropriations or eligibility standards.
Dive Insight:
Everyone agrees that tuition debt exceeding $1 trillion is a national crisis, but the answer may not be in cutting costs for college, but increasing the value of the college degree. Instead of charging students for a credential which only proves proficiency in learning, colleges can consider adding certifications and other professional add-ons which allow students to display skills in a variety of professional industries.
Secondary teaching, professional writing and communication, accounting and management are all majors which include skills transferable to any field, but commonly are not offered or directed to students in STEM or certain liberal arts majors. Universities would be well-suited in integrating stackable credential models, like Clark Atlanta University, into traditional curriculum offerings to better prepare students for professional mobility and debt management.