Unit 4: Possible Solution: Cutting Cost - What Can Students Do?

Perhaps one of the most critical issues facing higher education today is the "rising costs to attend college" (Dickeson, 2004, p. 1). Over the past several decades, tuition has continually risen faster than the rate of inflation. This has posed a serious problem for families whose incomes cannot keep pace. Much of the literature has been written on how colleges and universities can help contain costs. This posting, however, will focus on what students can do to help contain the costs at colleges and universities.

Academic Readiness

Perhaps one of the largest strains on higher education is to have students who are not adequately prepared for college work. With the assistance of their parents and guidance counselors, students should begin preparing for college as early as the eighth grade (Dickeson, 2004). Students can (and should) choose an academic plan of study that includes rigorous course work that prepares them for college. Such an approach should focus on finding ways to provide more support for students so that they will be prepared for college Rosenbaum (as cited in Dickeson, 2004) noted that "all students can plan to get a college degree; but if they are under prepared, they must be willing to repeat high school courses in college, spending the extra time and effort in non-credit remedial courses, with higher risks of failure" (p. 6). Having students who are academically ready can significantly decrease the need for remediation thus allowing colleges and universities to hold down those costs while preparing an edcuated workforce.

Participate in College Preparation and Bridge Programs

When possible, students should be encouraged to enroll in dual enrollment and advanced placement courses while in high school. Dual enrollment allows students to earn college credit while in high school thus decreasing the time needed to complete a degree program. Likewise, advance placement courses not only provide students with the opportunity to become college-ready but also a chance to earn college credit through the CLEP exam. The Department of Education (as cited in Coplin, 2006), for example, reported that "dual-credit courses are offered by 11,700 high schools and have 1.2 million enrollments and close to two million offer advance placement courses" (para. 23). Rosenbaum (as cited in Dickeson, 2004), maintained that "if students delay their effort until they get to college, the delay will make degree completion longer" (p. 6). Having students to enroll in college-level courses in high school can help reduce the need to offer a large number of course sections - especially in the first year general education curriculum. This in turn, could result in lower instructional costs. Colleges and universities can also benefit from dual enrollment programs. Instructional costs can be low especially when existing teachers - who are certified and eligible - teach the courses at adjunct rates. These institutions can also use dual enrollment programs as a means to generate revenues.

References

Coplin, W. D. (2006). Seven ways colleges can cut costs in their classrooms. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 31, 2009 from http://chronicle.comezproxy.memphis.edu/article/7-Ways-Colleges-Cut-Cos/17795/

Dickeson, R. C. (2004). Collision course: Rising college costs threaten America's future and require shared solutions. Retrieved November 1, 2009 from http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/Collision