Is a $50,000 College Tuition Worth It?

By U.S. News Staff

August 17, 2010 RSS Feed Print

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The cost of a liberal arts education keeps rising, with the price tag at some schools now exceeding $50,000 per year. Backers say the sticker price is deceptive and that the education is worth the cost. Critics say students could spend their dollars more wisely. Is a liberal arts education worth that price?
Edited by Robert Schlesinger

Yes

Ronald Daniels
President of Johns Hopkins University. Previously he was provost at the University of Pennsylvania.

Not everyone can write a check for the full price of a year at a private college or university. Fortunately, we don't ask everyone to do so. At our best private institutions, if you can't afford the sticker price, you won't pay it. These colleges and universities are deeply committed to bringing the most promising young scholars to campus...

No

Andrew Hacker
Teaches political science at Queens College and is coauthor, with Claudia Dreifus, of the book 'Higher Education?'

Let me be clear at the start: I strongly support a four-year liberal arts education. But $200,000 over a four-year span? That's what tuition, fees, room, and board are costing at colleges like Kenyon ($50,400), Reed ($51,850), and Bowdoin ($52,880). It is true that not everyone pays the full sticker figure. But then the posted prices...

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America's colleges and universities have been untied from rational management for decades. The administrators know their students can borrow from Uncle Sam and professors are protected from any evaluation of their teaching abilities. There is little accountability in the system.
There is no reason why a private university should charge a student $50,000 to live and attend for nine months. As these schools creep further and further away from economic reality, they will see a greatly diminished market for their services - unless they can successfully pressure the federal government to open its purse even further. As a taxpayer, I object!

JR Gordon of FL 1:40PM October 07, 2010

To make an argument of "there are plenty of good colleges where you can receive the same type of education" with no relevant, logical, or clear reasons is silly to believe. I have come to believe that the education received is purely up to the individual student. For example, I first went to a community college and finished my two year degree. I bought into the fact that a top ranked private school would give me a great education and a good job upon graduation because of the reputation and internships. I soon was disappointed because the education was rigorous in that professors just expected a lot of memorization and retention of what was presented in class and material covered in the book. That is it, all a big expensive top ranked education was summed up in one word, "Accountability." I personally don't need to be paying over $35k a year to be held "accountable" to retain information and be tested on my understanding. And it gets worse. Students at top ranked or not even top ranked at all state schools paying $20k to $25k less were in the same internships! I felt so stupid financially. Thus, my conclusion is education is what you make it (amount of material learned and retained as knowledge and understanding to think within that discipline better leading to do a good job which may or may not = more money earned). With that said, for myself it was best to leave that top ranked school and choose a good program (it is not the school itself, it is the program that matters) that happened to be at a state school 28k less a year and have the same internships and career possibilities with now about $80k less in debt had I stayed. I also think that the program and/or major is a far better determination of quality than just the school by itself, cause the major and/or program in the school is teaching the skills not the school itself. So it doesn't really matter where you go, it is about networking, skills (which a good program in whatever it is you want to do can possibly give you if you learn well which you are responsible for regardless of top ranked or no rank school), and diligence.

Cliff of OR 12:24PM September 21, 2010

This is an issue we are currently dealing with as my son is going through the process of selecting a college. He is lucky to have choices as he has a strong academic background, is talented musically and in sports. Having these choices, and not being certain of the area in which you wish to study, throws lots of variables into the mix. It is very appealing to consider the Ivies and other prestigious schools, not only for the quality of the education but for the experience they might provide. However, as we consider our options there are a number of excellent public university choices within our state that offer a high level of academic excellence, a great experience and a cost that is approximately 1/4 the price. While my son will apply to several private schools he understands that unless he is offered scholarships that make the cost of attending the private school on par with the University of Texas at Austin, a school that is ranked among the top public universities in the nation, he won't be attending any of the private schools. Aside from the cost, I believe that for a student who does not have a clear idea of a major or career, the large public universities provide more opportunity to explore a wide range of options. Many small liberal arts schools are quite limited and primarily prepare students for professional school or graduate school. While we have several months ahead of continuing to narrow down the list, there will definitely be a good mix of public and private schools on the list and the private schools will only make the final cut if enough scholarship money is offered to make it affordable without taking on debt. In weighing the options we have come to the conclusion that we don't believe the benefit justifies burdening ourselves or our son with debt that will impact his future potentially for many years after graduation.

Mary of TX 12:53AM September 07, 2010

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