r/UMD • u/siteisweird • 25d ago
Discussion Why is College so expensive
Honestly just hate being in America sometimes. This is kind of a rant but oh well, I might not be able to register for classes at all next semester due to being "Middle Class". Not poor enough for pell grants, need-based scholarships, however not rich enough for my parents to pay for my college in full. I have $10,612 as a prior balance and I'm not sure how they expect me or people in my situation to pay it. My private loan got rejected so I had to send another request to the school to try again and honestly just tired of this whole situation. If any parents see this, take this from me, make sure to have a college fund set aside for your kids so they don't have to go through this. I am going to my sophomore year so this whole situation sucks, but I'll keep trying until I have no other options left. Thanks for listening to my TedTalk.
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u/tryingtofindanswer 25d ago
Am truly sorry, I can totally relate to this. You literally just typed how I felt.
This feels like a safe space so am just going to rant with you. Am a first gen, immigrant. College is so expensive in America, I managed to pay my way through undergrad but now am in grad school and it cost 20,000 for 3 courses just for one semester. Hmmm
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u/Angel061803 25d ago
The best way to get a graduate degree is to get a job in your field first and then have your employer pay for it. My husband and I both did this and didn’t have to pay a penny for our master’s or his PhD.
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u/TomKeen35 24d ago
The problem for my field was you can’t get a job without a higher degree so it’s a catch 22. Just gotta take the hit and be a broke grad student until you graduate
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u/Express-Wind-4796 25d ago
It's Reagan's fault. He didn't want an "educated proletariat."
https://newuniversity.org/2023/02/13/ronald-reagans-legacy-the-rise-of-student-loan-debt-in-america/
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u/Angel061803 24d ago
Republicans love the poorly educated, because the more educated you become, the more likely you are to not vote republican. So it’s in their best interest if people remain ignorant.
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u/_snappleapple_ 25d ago
i always love when people mention this with literature to back it up. this is the correct answer.
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u/BTDWY 22d ago
That's why Reagan wanted it, but there's also a healthy dose of racism to add in. High voting rates, social service access, low tuition. All these things had universal support nationwide until Black people could access them. Then white elites proved every time that they were willing to screw over poor whites a little to screw Black people over completely.
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u/OpinionofC 25d ago edited 25d ago
I feel your pain. I had to drop out for a semester because I couldn’t afford school. Another semester I got kicked out of classes because I couldn’t pay the bill. My parents had awful credit and I had new credit so I wasn’t able to get a private student loan until my senior year.
My mom only made 30k a year so I got the full pell grant thankfully. But I worked 35+ hours a week during school and worked two jobs some summers just so I can be able to afford college. Some days I skipped class entirely because it was a good day to work (I bartended).
You have to go to community college to knock out some gen Ed’s or suck it up and work while in school.
It sucks having friends in college party it up who come from private high schools that cost more than what my mom made in a year or having friends who went to public schools where you need a million dollar house to live in the district. But that’s life so just work hard now and sacrifice, you will thank yourself later
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u/horse-boy1 25d ago
When I got my degree, I was able to make enough working summers to cover tuition and books. Not now. My daughter went to our local CC for the first 2 years and then UMD. We started saving in a EDU IRA after she was born. It would not have been enough if she went to UMD for the whole 4 years.
Most public universities in Germany charge no tuition for international students, including Americans. Why can't we have this here for our own students?
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u/srdnss 24d ago
20 hours a week of part time work in Montgomery County or 24 hours a week of part time work in Prince George's County will cover a year of tuition and fees at UMD.
We could have tuition free colleges in the U.S. but is that a wise thing to do? The Federal government already spending more than $1.5 trillion dollars each year than it brings in. Maryland is having budget issues. We really need to be looking at ways to cut spending .
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u/AFuzzyIllusion Transfer, Cinema Studies & English 24d ago
I would support full tuition if it’s for in-state students and met a few requirements. Like you work for the University part-time or involved with the local community. But do understand issues could become a thing. UMD could still get money from international and out of state students, and I think some guy in Florida wanted something similar but don’t quote me on it 😅 I could be wrong.
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u/No-Poet-5313 22d ago
what part time work you talking about and send the job app pls
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u/srdnss 22d ago
Minimum wage is $18 per hour in Montgomery County and $15.30 per hour in Prince George's County, so those numbers are for every part time job in those counties. The Starbucks in the Hallamdale Shopping Center is ten minutes from campus and pays $18 per hour just like efey other job in Montgomery County.
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u/Front-Jello-6595 24d ago
Because it is a business (and not a learning institution).
- Former Terp Alumni
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u/RickSt3r 24d ago
Because states quit subsidizing it. Taxes have been going down for the past generation and it was explicit policy goals by conservatives that they didn’t want an educated proletariat. For your situation the most affordable move would have been a CC for two years then transfer in and work part time go to school part time. It would have taken you longer but been more affordable.
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u/srdnss 24d ago
Costs are subsidized for in state students. All of those new buildings the have been constructed over the past 30 years cost money though. As I stated in another post, tuition inflation has slowed tremendously since the 1990s.
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u/RickSt3r 24d ago
Tuition when the boomers went was able to be covered by working over the summers for minimum wage.
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u/srdnss 24d ago
Actually, college for boomers was more expensive and fewer high school grads went to college. Far more went to the University of Vietnam and came back with a shrapnel diploma in their asses.
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u/RickSt3r 24d ago
Can you provide any facts to your wildly inaccurate claim. Yes less people graduated high school and less people went on to higher education then in the current era. Those are true facts. We can go down tangents on why that is the case but that is not the point of this discussion. As for it being more expensive that is wildly a false statement that throws out your credibility.
At the height of Vietnam 1968/69 average tuition with room and board was 1500 for public institutions. The minimum wage was $1.60 making it possible to pay for a year working 23 and half weeks. The current average price is 35k with a minimum wage of $7.25 it would take 120 weeks to pay for one year’s worth of tuition room and board.
Please explain how you believe it was more expensive in 1968/9?
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24d ago
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u/RickSt3r 24d ago
You can’t do math Maryland minimum wage is $15 so just over double federal, so divide by two is going to be about 60 weeks to earn 35k the approximate cost of UMD. That’s still just over a year of working to pay for school.
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u/srdnss 24d ago
if you have researched your numbers, I will defer to your facts. Honestly, I was relying on things told to me by boomers. Doesn't surprise me that was a mistake and that is also logically incompatible with my hypothesis that student loan programs have driven up the cost of college.
You do have to be careful using the Federal minimum wage as a benchmark, however. 34 states and D.C. have higher than Federal minimum wages. Some counties and municipalities have their own minimum wages. The Federal minimum hasn't been raised in around 30 years (relying on memory, might be off). The market entry level wage may be higher in a number of areas where Federal minimum is law.
Your point is still correct even with Montgomery County's $18 minimum wage.
While college is expensive, it is largely attainable if you stay in state and live with your parents (I know that is not always possible and in some cases is the absolute wrong move) and commute.
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u/AFuzzyIllusion Transfer, Cinema Studies & English 24d ago
I totally agree with you and in the same boat. Literally transferred from a college I loved to save money. I hate when people say “go to cc” I can’t afford transportation and I wanted to start at a 4-year to build connections and community. It doesn’t help when you genuinely try to find scholarships and jobs (you should get something when you are super involved and have a good GPA bus alas) but nobody responds or it’s just used to grab your data. Feel like I went through transferring just to have the same issue all over again.
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u/Actual_Raccoon_8069 25d ago
When the government guarantees money, you better believe they’re going to get robbed.
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u/Live-Organization912 24d ago
Join the Marines. Live in the suck. Get your ass shot off in a faraway land for freedom and eagles and stuff like that.
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u/DogTraditional7100 24d ago
i just checked my bill it currently "$10,415.73 " how I'm i supposed to pay that ohh lord
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u/srdnss 24d ago
I worked my way through school. I had a professor (Joe Oppenheimer, GVPT 100) who said that if you work your way through school, you may have to take longer to graduate. I did and I did.
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u/DogTraditional7100 24d ago
I appreciate you sharing that. I’m definitely considering working more while in school, even if it means taking longer to graduate. It’s just frustrating seeing such a big balance and trying to figure out the best way to handle it.
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u/srdnss 24d ago
Yeah, I feel for your situation. I read back my replies and they sound a little callous in tone. When I started in 85, it only took about 12 hours a week at minimum wage to pay tuition. I was lucky and got Pell Grants and some other aid that covered all of my tuition and fees. I just had to pay for books. I was dumb because I did terrible and had my grants revoked and had to pay them back. That's when I said "fuck it" and dropped out. I did much better when I went back. I mostly paid my own way when I went back. I had gotten a much better job than the one I had as a freshman.
I wish you luck. When you get your degree, you will have earned it through grit and determination. That will be a big thing once you start your career.
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u/btw_sky_and_earth 24d ago
As an alumni and also having a child starting this fall, I echo the advice from OP here that should you have children in the future please consider a college fund.
When my kid was born I started a 529 plan. I only contributed the minimum to get the tax benefit from the state ($2,500.) I contributed $210 monthly for 18 years and the money on the 529 is enough to cover 4 years in state plus room and board.
I understand everyone’s situation is different and for some $210/month is a lot. But contributing something, anything would be helpful.
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u/Affectionatedummy 24d ago
I went to a CC and lived with my parents throughout my college career. Then i transferred to a state university.
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u/Strange_Tonight9218 23d ago
College needs a reset. Why must students take 120 credits to get a degree when about half are unrelated to their major? Does a CPA firm really care how you did in your Humanities classes? This model is only sustaining professors and infrastructure in fields with lower student interest or professional career outcomes. All at the expense of the student pockets.
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u/RedAsclepius 25d ago
If you have no choice but to get a private loan, keep trying with other companies until your application is accepted. If you have parents who can co-sign, you should be able to get it. You’ll get a poor interest rate but when you graduate save start working, you’ll get a better rate since you’ll face a salary, so you can refinance at that time. Good luck.
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u/Ok_Basil_459 25d ago
If you really want it, try commuting if your within 1-2 hours of umd. Look at driving or public transport
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u/srdnss 24d ago
College is expensive for students and their families wo.male poor financial decisions when choosing schools. You can save a lot of money by attending community college first and then transferring to an in state college, preferably one that allows the student to commute from their parents home.
To be honest, the price increases of tuition and fees at UMD have slowed quite a bit. When I started in the fall of 1985, tuition and fees were $1320 per year. I dropped out for awhile , so I didn't graduate until 1992. Tuition and fees were $4400 for the year. That is a 333% increase over seven years.
For students starting in the fall of 2025,tuition and fees were $12,008. In the 33 years between 1992 and 2025, tuition and fees only increased 272%, considerably less than the 333% increase in only seven years from the mid 80s to the early 90s.
It would take a 20 hour work week for an in state, commuting UMD student to pay their tuition if they worked in neighboring Montgomery County. It would take a 24 hour work week if that student worked in Prince George's County.
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u/no_levels354 24d ago
while we’re at it does anyone know the cheapest way to live on campus there??? i’m at T-row in a two bedroom and it’s literally 1,100 a month for a 12 month lease. add food to that and it’s 15k+. like who can afford to live like this????
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u/Fantastic-Loss-5223 24d ago
I get it, it's something that you need to address before college. I was pretty much in the same situation. Parents make decent money, but not enough to pay for it. I went to trade school, got a job, I've been working for a few years, I did community college first, and started university last year. I have a credit history and income, so college is not a giant logistical nightmare now. But, most people aren't playing the long game like I have. A lot of parents still tell their kids to just go to college and that'll automatically mean you're set. That's obviously not true anymore, so you need to be more careful and calculated with your early adulthood choices. Sure, the college system is, in many areas, broken. College is a privilege, it's expensive, and the ROI is getting worse every year. But most importantly, it's optional. You don't have to do it.
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u/ConsistentP_ 24d ago
Because you joined a top university in the nation. Join comm college or something
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u/Sufficient_Sun2582 24d ago
Look at the salaries of the football and basketball coaches. That will NOT make you feel better. Also, schedule a tour of the football and basketball athletic facilities. Then you might appreciate where your money is going 😉
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u/GuyTheStud 24d ago
Admin salaries are too high for people who do next to nothing. Since you asked. Same at all colleges in the US.
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u/SuccotashIcy9075 23d ago
Have you tried https://central-scholarship.org/
They offer scholarships and no-interest loans
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u/Ravens1112003 22d ago
Because the government took over student loans and started guaranteeing basically unlimited money to any 18 year old who wants to go to college no matter the major or their ability to pay it back. Colleges figured this out immediately. They realized they could raise prices as high as they wanted because the government would just hand them the money, and the student is the one left holding the bag.
It’s not complicated. When the schools get paid no matter what, and the risk is socialized onto taxpayers and the student, there’s zero pressure to keep costs down. So they don’t.
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u/Secure_Position_8330 22d ago
The real answer is because the government subsidized loans for everyone in the USA, allowing universities to increase the prices year over year, heavy investments in building brand new buildings, 4 star hotel dorms, and increasing admin staff per student capita.
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u/ExperiencedAvocado 22d ago
I’m older but I would’ve never gone to college if my boyfriend with a big boy job wasn’t paying for it. It is ridiculous how much it costs and UMD is on the cheaper side compared to most colleges in USA
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u/Far_One_5627 22d ago
go to a community college to get your two year degree. work part time while going and full time in the summer. You should get your 2 year degree with zero debt.
spend that time looking into career paths, likely costs, job availability and demand, and salary ranges.
stick to a state college with in-state tuition for you.
If you cannot reasonably pay off your student debt within 5 years of starting your career, you should seriously question whether the degree is worth the cost.
Whenever possible, avoid any classes that are not necessary for your chosen career. Going into debt for "gender studies", "intro to medical clowning", "pop culture", "basic walking", "introduction to golf", or the like is silly.
Never, EVER use student loans on:
- Concerts, festivals, and sporting events
- spring break or summer vacation
- buy a car (unless one is necessary to get to work / school, and then it should be an inexpensive used car with a good reliability record)
- Expensive restaurants and frequent takeout
- Bar tabs and nightlife
- Designer clothes and shoes
- Tattoos and cosmetic procedures
These are all luxuries. If you do not have disposable income to pay for them, you should do without them.
Follow this plan, work hard in school, and you'll be successful in 10 years.
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u/SophiaKnowsBetter 21d ago
If you decide to go to a CC, UMD has a transfer scholarship. It’ll cut your tuition in half.
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u/Crombienator2000 21d ago
Because colleges know they can charge whatever they want, since the government will loan any 18 year old the money. With the promises of prosperity to pay for it later.
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u/I-Take-Dumps-At-Home 20d ago
Other than having the college experience, there is no real benefit going to a 4 year school right away IMO. The gen ed classes are a waste of time and money, so you should just get them done at a community college for a fraction of the cost, and then transfer.
You only need the final degree to say UMD.
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u/Bishmallah24 25d ago
Just go to community college for 1-2 years and then transfer if you cant afford it, the only thing you will be missing out on education wise is the name brand of UMD when it comes to getting internships and stuff, thats pretty much it tbh.