Students have the right to be worried and disappointed about how expensive college tuition is.  Financial aid offers funds to students to cover their college expenses, but it’s still not going to cover entirely enough of their tuition. According to College Board, 20 years ago, the average cost for private university was $28,140 and public university was $10,950 (including room and board). This year, average private university costs  are around $45,370 and public university costs $20,090 (including room and board).

Each year, the average cost for a public university increased by 6.5 percent over the last decade. By 2030, public tuition will be $44,407 per year, and that makes the total cost for a four-year degree more than $205,000. These numbers are just a prediction, but they are important to know for future parents. Even if a parent started saving every month since a child’s birth, you still may only cover college tuition for one child.

Bella Duati, a junior at Portsmouth High School, said, “I think that college tuition today is ridiculous because of how expensive it is. But I also know that nowadays there are a lot of scholarships that are available to everyone, still tuition is expensive. In 20 years, college tuition would be more expensive. Like if you look at the numbers the cost of college tuition has increased since the 50s. And even if I did have a choice to go to college somewhere else, I would stay here because we do have some of the best colleges in the world, but also because the colleges here are pretty diverse and that’s something that I want.”

Jannet Desvira,a sophomore at Emmanuel College, said, “I think today’s college tuition is incredibly expensive, especially compared to other countries where they offer free tuition. I understand that as years go by, all colleges increase their tuition each year to accommodate to the expenses and costs of things around it, but even with financial aid, there are many families who struggle and are doing just enough to get by. College is almost a necessity nowadays in order to receive some sort of lucrative job and make a living. That’s why the demand for a college education is very inelastic, which means that an increase in the price of tuition will not discourage a substantial amount of people from attending a college or a university.“