6 the price of higher education has become too high and something must be done These student activists had abandoned their classrooms to join the Million Student March a student led movement devoted to uphold ing the notion of education as a fundamental human right From Massachusetts to Oregon Florida to Hawaii more than 10,000 students from approximately 100 schools nationwide joined the Million Student March's local protests They took to the streets to protest higher education's rising prices and to help shape the national conversation about what college costs look like today according to Beth Huang an organizer who helped the students plan the Million Student March The frustrations the Million Student March protesters expressed are nothing new Their voices are a part of an ongoing and building national conversation about the affordability of higher education But the widespread support of the protests illustrates in clear focus the universality of the problem It shows that the surging price of higher education does not affect one region of the country or one particular type of school
SCHOOL TUITION AND FUNDING AVERAGE TUITION AND FEES 2015 2016 MAIN SOURCE OF FUNDING COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS 3,435 government PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 9,410 In state 23,893 out of state government and tultlon revenues PRIVATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 32,405 endowments tultlon revenues and charitable donations FOR PROFIT INSTITUTIONS 15,610 tultlon
8 College affordability is a far reaching issue that leaves no one untouched and has effects that resonate throughout society THE PROBLEM TODAY Since 1980 the topic of education costs has become more prominent as each year the price of tuition rises faster than the rate of inflation In 1975 a student at a public university could have funded a year's tuition by working a minimum wage job six hours per week Today however that reality feels far distant More than 40 years and countless tuition INSPIRATION FOR THE MILLION STUDENT MARCH The Million Student March was the brainchild of Elan Axelbank and Keely Mullen students at Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts The inspiration for the movement came in 2015 from Senator Bernie Sanders then a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate The students saw an interview between journalist Katie Couric and Sanders During the interview Sanders stated If a million young people march on Washington and say to the Republican leadership We know what's going on and you better vote to deal with the student debt You better vote to make public universities and colleges tuition free that's when it Laction from legislators will happen increases later an average student would need to put in at least 32 hours per week at a minimum wage job to pay only tuition and fees College tuition is higher than ever before and in 2015 the comprehensive
9 price tag which includes tuition fees room and board of 57 US private colleges crept past 60 000 In 2015 tuition overall was approximately three times higher than it had been in 1980 even when accounting for inflation Many schools both public and private are quick to point out that the advertised sticker price of tuition and fees is not what many students pay For the most part only high income students who do not qualify for merit based aid pay the full amount The number of students paying full price varies from school to school At some schools none of the students pay list price Up to half of the students pay the sticker price at some top tier schools Overall approximately 77 percent of students at private schools receive some kind of tuition discount Their average discount is around 42 percent of the total tuition cost Even so the net tuition and fees or discounted tuition and fees that students pay continues to increase The amount of aid available has increased since 1990 However for the most part that aid increase has not kept pace with skyrocketing tuition and fees Only at two year institutions has the average net price decreased In some instances
