49 States Flunk College Affordability Test

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Somewhat affordable tuition fees in India? For all its government apathy, the one thing India does and does well is Higher Education. I finished my BE in Mech.Engineering from a reputed University in India and I paid a total of Rs. 500,000 (USD $10,000). That was considered expensive, as i received no financial aid, or what the indian system calls - " a Non-Merit seat".

Granted, the knowledge transfer method is a little outdated, but it gace me enough to pursue a MS in the US, and here I am, a successful Engineering professional with no college debt.

If parents are so worried about the tuition costs here, they should send their kids halfway around the world to Bangalore for 4 years to get their college degrees. Even with the cost of room, board, travel back and forth, tuition and books, they would end up paying no more than $25000. And the kids get some global exposure while they're at it.

I would only suggest this for Science and Engineering streams. The liberal arts schools there suck.

KENT STATE SALEM BRANCH SALEM OHIO

VERY AFFORDABLE ABOUT 5 THOUSAND A YEAR

..a shot in the foot

it does seem that the united states will lose its leadership in innovation and other areas if it does not take action. china, india, japan, philippines, etc. to name a few asian countries who produce competent professionals in their own right with somewhat more affordable tuition fees in contrast to america. its just a matter of time before an asian ountry takes the lead in innovation.

crazy costs

this is crazy!!! why don't they just lower the price for everyone!!!??? seriously everyone would be then able to pay.

Cost of College

The cost of college has always been a complicated issue. Does college athletics drain money from the school or does it bring in revenue in terms of marketing and exposure? As a student, I resented on some level that colleges seem to invest more in sports than academics. But the bottom line is that paying for college has always been expensive, even in schools without sports programs. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to figure out how to pay for school. For some, it may mean getting a job. For some, it may be getting help from grandma. What should not be overlooked is good old hard work in finding money from private locations in the form of scholarships and grants. One site, http://www.morethangrades.com not only offers scholarship money, it offer assistance with the entire process with information provided by experts in their fields. I encourage all students, parents, and guidance counselors to take a look. Best of all, it's free!

The Heart of the Problem

One word: Tenure (professor retains job until death or an infraction of severe misconduct) So they keep working regardless of the content they teach, it's accuracy, their level of it's understanding, personal bias of any subject mater, truthfulness, objectivity level, usefulness, quality, student pass/fail rating, demoralizing verbal abuse of any student(s), number of days they show up to hear themselves talk.

And yes, the big sports teams in colleges are another cause, but tenure is the crippling thorn in all colleges/universities and has been for a number of decades.

compulsory service

That's one platform Obama ran on. Every student who performs a certain number of hours of service each semester would get a tuition credit. Who knows if it will pass or if the program will work like he envisions, but it sounds like a good idea to me.

Then again, I think education should be expensive. It's not worth it right now to get a degree and that's why college educated workers are a dime a dozen. We simply need more job growth and higher wages to balance out the overabundance of educated low-wage earners created in the last 8 years.

compulsory military/gov't service

Here's a thought. All high school graduates do two years compulsory military or gov't service. They come out the other end with the equivalent of an AA degree, and get to continue their education at a reduced/subsidized rate. It's good for the country and good for the kids.

..academia is pricing itself out of business......

Centralized higher education, which started in America around 1620, when a handful of respected educators congregated at new institutions like Harvard, and drew eager & well-heeled students to join them....all this has run amok & has gotten completely out of hand, today.

A new decentralized education model is rapidly rising: enthusiastic, articulate rock-star educators, Nobel scientists, & prescient scholars are poised to clearly elaborate their disciplines on CD's @ $10 to $20 per course.

Education in any--and every subject will be available anywhere, anytime, at any pace, inexpensively on any myriad of internet devices near you,without the requisite curriculum of inane & irrelevant "electives" to drag out the "process" of getting educated.

But what about the socializing aspects of college? Everybody will still get socialized...at the bar, the YM/WCA, or your church. The Halls of Ivy will soon be coverd with kudzu, and abandoned. And when the tipping point arrives, it will be sudden. Decentralized & specialized education is upon us..soon.