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onetime2 · 08-25-2004, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan6467

OneTime,

I respect your views but 1 I do take issue with and is most important to me (not just being a student but having teachers in my family) is Bush's plan for "training workers and students".

I'm sorry but ANY president that cuts education and makes it almost impossible for someone to go back to school in their 30's is not worth being president. Where is this money for his programs? Why are so many students dependant on loans, that don't cover f/t tuition and room and board (and we are talking PUBLIC schools). Why when my wife and I made less than $25,000 last year did I not even qualify for a Pell Grant, and my loans cover my tuition and 1/2 my books? I'm a f/t student with 5 classes and 17 credit hours I start at 10AM and go till 6PM, how am I going to find a job that can pay rent and my bills while I am trying to better my life.

If I cut down to 10 hours or p/t I lose my work study (which isn't much), and I lose out on loan monies. This is fair how? Not everyone is mature enough or able to handle college when they graduate, some of us have to go through life before we realize what are true calling is. (And sorry I also want to go F/T so I can graduate in 5 yrs with my Master's and not 10.)

Plus, the field I am choosing is a very poor field in terms of money and in terms of employment (meaning there are very few good people out there for the jobs needed, and the demand is high).

I'm sorry but if Bush wants to talk about "training and school" then show the money he's putting into the system, and how one can get it, cause I don't see it.

By the way for those who don't know, I am getting a Master's in Social Work w/ a specialty in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counselling, and during my summer's being certified in Compulsive Gambling counselling. My goal is to open a recovery center for Compulsive Gamblers and cross addicted gamblers.

For those saying, "well when you graduated high school you should have taken college more seriously." First, my parents got NO financial aid and secondly, what's the difference between me using the money then and not knowing what I wanted or using it now, knowing what I want and going into a very understaffed field?

I'm sorry Pan but there are plenty of resources available to people who want to go back to school. You've made the choice to go back to school full time. Obviously that choice has costs. I know several people in my company working full time and supporting families attending school. Some would be considered full time students as well.

The number of students attending college today is far greater than at any time in the history of the US. College educations are not paid for fully by the government in this country and even if they were the system would never have been able to keep up with the rapid influx of students occuring over the last decade or so.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...ver-usat_x.htm

Quote:

Posted 6/28/2004 1:37 AM Updated 6/28/2004 4:20 PM
Tuition burden falls by a third
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
What students pay on average for tuition at public universities has fallen by nearly one-third since 1998, thanks to new federal tax breaks and a massive increase in state and federal grants to most students and their families.
Contrary to the widespread perception that tuition is soaring out of control, a USA TODAY analysis found that what students actually pay in tuition and fees — rather than the published tuition price — has declined for a vast majority of students attending four-year public universities. In fact, today's students have enjoyed the greatest improvement in college affordability since the GI bill provided benefits for returning World War II veterans.

What made the difference: a $22 billion annual increase in grants and tax breaks since 1998.

That 80% jump in financial aid — targeting middle-class families earning $40,000 to $100,000 a year — has more than offset dramatic increases in tuition prices.

"College still takes a big chunk out of most families' income. But the average student is much better off today than headlines would have you believe," says Sandy Baum, an economist who co-authors an annual report on college costs for the College Board, which oversees college entrance exams.

USA TODAY analyzed what students paid for tuition and fees after grants, discounts, tax credits and deductions. Other studies focus on the listed price of tuition. But listed college tuition is like the sticker price on a new car: Few people actually pay it. In 2003, students paid an average of just 27% of the official tuition price at four-year public universities when grants and tax breaks are counted. Students at private universities paid an average of 57%.

The USA TODAY analysis used figures from the College Board, the federal Office of Management and Budget and the Internal Revenue Service. All numbers were adjusted for inflation. The bottom line:

• Average tuition paid at public universities fell 32% from $1,636 in the 1997-98 academic year to $1,115 in 2002-03. During that time, the published tuition price rose 18% to an average of $4,202. About three-fourths of the nation's 12 million college students attend public institutions.

• Total costs for tuition and room and board were flat at $6,794 at public schools from 1998 to 2003.

• Average tuition paid at private universities rose 7% over five years to an average of $10,684 in 2003, less than the 20% increase in published tuition prices.

Congress has approved eight tax breaks for college education since 1997. Last year, these tax benefits saved families more than $7 billion. Key benefits:

• 6.5 million families got tuition tax credits that reduced taxes an average of $1,350 per return.

• 3.5 million received a tuition tax deduction that saved an average of $325 in income taxes.

The most affluent taxpayers — 1.5% of returns are for incomes above $200,000 — do not qualify for tax breaks, but many benefited from big increases in grants that reward academic performance. Schools have increased merit aid to recruit the best students, who tend to be affluent. And since 1993, 14 states have started merit-based scholarships to reward students who achieve good grades in high school.

The poor have benefited from increases in federal Pell grants from $6 billion to $12 billion since 1998.

But the biggest beneficiaries have been middle-class families earning $40,000 to $100,000 a year. They get the most tax benefits and often qualify for financial aid based on both need and merit.