A Degree that Students Can Afford

Crystal Plum

A recent “First Look (Preliminary Data)” report shows that college enrollment numbers dropped in the past year. Beckie Supiano, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, offers a brief hypothesis for the evidence of the report here; she reasons that the weak economy and state budget cuts have contributed to the decline in college enrollment numbers.

As college tuitions have increased exponentially over the past ten years, students are increasingly overwhelmed with debt and college loans. Texas Governor Rick Perry hopes to reverse the effects of a weak economy with his renewed plan for a $10,000 degree. In The Wall Street Journal, Nathan Koppel and Douglas Belkin write of Perry’s plan and what the lower costs may mean for Texas universities.

Thomas Lindsay, an NAS board member and education expert at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, is mentioned in Koppel and Belkin’s article. Lindsay says colleges should give low-cost degrees a chance. Higher efficiency does not have to mean lower quality, and affordability does not necessarily mean degree programs have to become second-rate. While lower costs for students may mean larger class sizes and less time with professors, a cheaper degree could also be a creative way for providing students with another option.

  • Share

Most Commented

September 6, 2024

1.

Professor Alleges "Widespread" Discriminatory Hiring Coverup at University of Washington

Audio acquired by the National Association of Scholars describes allegations of coverup race-based hiring coverup at the University of Washington...

October 29, 2024

2.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

September 25, 2024

3.

NAS Statement on University of Pennsylvania Sanction of Amy Wax

The National Association of Scholars is outraged—but not surprised—by Penn's decision to penalize Wax for exercising her academic freedom. ...

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....