This article originally appeared in the Money print issue, in stands March 2025. It has not been updated and some information may be out of date.
Higher education has become the main target of ridicule and budget cuts.
Politicians use higher education as a punching bag. They implement bills that only make education more inaccessible.
The U.S. must make college achievable for all. If lower-class citizens can’t afford higher education, the wage gap will only grow. We must empower our younger generations.
The Utah government must stop snubbing higher education. Congress must increase the federal Pell Grant drastically to match rising college tuition prices.
Nowhere But Up
The cost of tuition has only increased in the past years.
According to the College Board, the cost of public four-year out-of-state tuition has risen 3.2% before adjusting for inflation for the 2024-2025 school year.
Meanwhile, enrollment has decreased.
Postsecondary enrollment declined by 5% from 2019 to 2022. Over a million fewer people enrolled in college. Lack of enrollment is a cause of increased tuition prices. State funding is a major concern in the cost of tuition.
The Utah Senate voted 21-1 to cut $60 million from Utah’s higher education instruction budget. This will drastically impact the cost of tuition in Utah.
Trump, without a doubt, has an agenda to hurt and dismantle higher education.
The rising cost of tuition is not just an economic problem. It’s a profound social justice issue.
Education has long been regarded as a tool for leveling the playing field. It provides every individual with the opportunity to succeed, regardless of race or financial background.
As college becomes more expensive, a divide grows. This directly harms marginalized communities.
Students from low-income households are bearing the brunt of rising tuition costs. In 2023, Nearly 18% of Black people were living in poverty in the United States, compared to 7.7% of white people.
Students of color with limited socioeconomic resources — such as less parental and generational wealth and fewer savings — are forced to take on greater debt to cover tuition and living expenses.
This growing inequality in access to education only perpetuates cycles of poverty and social injustice. This systematic issue must be fixed with increased federal funding.
The Importance of College
Employers still value employees with a college education.
Higher education statistically provides higher-paying jobs. Rates of civic engagement increase with college education. Studies consistently show that those with a college degree earn significantly more over their lifetimes compared to those without one.
College graduates tend to have higher rates of job satisfaction, better health outcomes and greater access to benefits, which ultimately lead to a higher quality of life.
All of the U.S. needs higher education, not just the population that can afford it. In today’s evolving economy, a well-educated workforce is crucial for national competitiveness. Relying solely on a population that can afford college will leave the rest of the nation behind. Education should be seen as a shared national resource, a public good that benefits everyone, and not just a privilege for the wealthy. At its core, education should be a path to equal opportunity.
In a nation built on the ideal of the “American Dream,” every student should have the chance to succeed regardless of their financial background. Allowing access to higher education is essential to breaking the cycles of poverty and inequality that have persisted for generations.
Call On Our Government
We must ask our representatives to vote against budget cuts for higher education, veto harmful proposals that dismantle federal support and recognize the vital role education plays in our future. Pell Grants have been the largest form of federal aid for college for years.
The maximum federal Pell Grant for the 2024-2025 school year is $7,395. This is only $1,665 more than in 2015. This lack of funding explains the inability of many students, especially those dependent on federal aid, to attend higher education.
By providing financial assistance, Pell Grants help ensure that higher education is accessible to all. However, these opportunities remain limited, and the lack of funding fuels financial inequality. Student debt continues to rise, college tuition increases annually and federal funding remains inadequate to meet the needs of students. It is time to recognize that an investment in education is an investment in our future.
The rising cost of tuition burdens families.
It also undermines the foundational values of opportunity and equality in our country.
Future generations are dependent on making higher education more affordable. Students, families, educators and policymakers have a part to play in making higher education accessible.
To preserve the integrity of higher education, we must demand action from our government: either in increasing Pell Grants or reinvesting in our public universities.
