College Costs Becoming a Bigger Issue

A new study shows that college affordability is more of a major issue than candidates are focusing on.

According to a new National Education Association (NEA)/ Project New West survey, a majority of voters believe a college education is necessary to make ends meet in today's global economy but they feel that struggling middle class families don't get the help they need to pay for it.

According to a press release from DEMOS, a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization, 70% of parents of college students surveyed said that "making college more affordable was an important issue for them in the upcoming election; 34 percent said it was the most important issue to them." For students currently attending college, it was at 65% and 34%.

The majority of respondents for the survey believe college affordability is key to sustaining the competitive edge for the US in today's global economy and building long-term prosperity.

Among the NEA survey's additional findings:

• 78% of those surveyed said it is now more difficult to afford college education than it was 10 years ago;
• 64% said higher education is no longer a luxury, it's necessary to make ends meet;
• 64% also agree that the middle class doesn't get enough to help pay for college;
• Concerns about college affordability are particularly salient with Hispanics: 48% of those surveyed said it was the most important issue to them;
• By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, those surveyed favored a plan to create a $4,000 a year tax credit for tuition and fees if a student commits to giving 100 hours of public service each year.

As someone who still has about $12,000 left to pay on the obscene amount of debt I accumulated, I can tell you that college affordability is still one of the greatest issues for me even though I'm no longer in school. And further the idea that someone like me who wants a job in some form of public service and working to make the world a better place, that I can't do that because I can't afford the salary cut, is a major issue.

I sat down with Rep. George Miller (D-CA) today to talk about his outreach as the Chairman on the Education and Labor Committee. The difficulties I face are not unique and are serious concerns continue to mount as our economy weakens. Rep. Miller said these were some of the most important issues they looked at during the first 100 days in the New Congress. That legislation helped students with a dropping interest rate for loans, more money for Pell Grants, and better access to loans even in a troubling economy. Rep. Miller said there was a lot of potential to go even further especially with students who want to serve their community.

The full interview with Rep. Miller will be posted next week.