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Most students today are struggling to pay their college fee. Many work two jobs in summers and are also forced to take help from their family and relatives. In spite of this, they rely heavily on a student loan which is all set to get tougher.

To add to their woes, a lot of universities around the country have started increasing their average fees and the latest to join in the bandwagon is the universities in Oregon. Next year, full time undergraduate resident students may have to pay an average of 7.5% more than what they are paying now. This will increase the average tuition cost to $7634. 

Many students at the Portland State University, which has proposed a nine percent increase in tuition fee next year, may be forced to wind up their studies. The State Board of Higher Education will soon be approving these increases. West Oregon University has proposed a 5.1 percent increase while universities such as the Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Oregon and PSU have proposed a 9 percent increase. 

The Oregon State University will be increasing its fee to 8.1 percent while the Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon universities have proposed a 6.8 percent increase. According to the executive director of an Oregon community colleges and public universities non-profit advocacy group, Oregon Student Association, Emily McLain, we must be happy that the increases are in single digits.

McLain says that the rate of increase in state financial aid is not in tandem with rise in tuition. If approved, the increase in tuition will result in the highest ever annual fee of $8,879 at the University of Oregon.

When combined with other essentials such as books, board, room, supplies and other costs, students may have to shell out over twenty thousand dollars next year. Tuition fee will triple for international and out of state students and this will make their annual cost around forty thousand dollars.

Ben Eckstein, a 21 year old student body president of this university says that this increase is too high and will seriously hurt already struggling students. He said that our state does not recognise the worth of higher education in bringing value to a person’s life.

According to finance and administration vice chancellor Jay Kenton, the state leaders expect at least forty percent of Oregonian adults to have a bachelor’s degree by the year 2025 and want universities to be affordable.

He said that keeping this in mind, the university is trying its best to keep costs down. He also said that they are working in close interaction with students to ensure that the hike in tuition does not drive them away from education.

There is major concern now among administrators and students that a tipping point has been reached as far as tuition is concerned and students are increasingly beginning to feel that value of debt is being far outweighed by the debt itself.

For low income students, college is fast slipping out of reach. Where is this going to lead our country to? Time to wake up and take measures.