For An Affordable College Degree, Find The Best College Prices

An Affordable College Degree The Focus Of College Cost List

An affordable college degree seems to be the reason for the college lists revealing the cost of attending specific colleges and universities by the U.S. Department of Education.

While listing of college costs may be helpful, it assumes the reported information detailing the cost of higher education is correct. The bottom line is still how much student debt will be owed upon graduation and can you afford to pay your student loans.

Finally, a government entity understanding college costs have gotten far beyond the ability of middle class families to pay and still achieve the American dream of building wealth through retirement investments.

A good time to think about retirement is when you are just starting your career (most of us did not even think about retirement investments when we were in college).

Of course, it is not the government's responsibility to make college affordable and these lists do not attempt to do.

What these college affordability lists are attempting to do is create awareness that the product of education can be shopped for just like any other product that Americans consume.

Awareness of college costs hopefully will help students make an informed decision in the light of achieving personal wealth over a lifetime.

It is the college bound student's responsibility to place priority on funding their own personal retirement, instead of just attending college and funding the lucrative retirement accounts of college administrators.

We Are Consumers of Higher Education And Thus College Customers

This report sees students for exactly what they are, Consumers of a college education. It seems to me that education has almost seemed sacrosanct and protected from being considered a consumer product.

This particular college list is openly referred to as consumer information regarding the cost of education at particular institutions of higher education.

Shopping for the best college prices just makes sense, especially if one sees pursuing an affordable college degree as one of many financial decisions that will impact the personal finances of students.

In teaching courses on achieving financial peace, I see first hand the impact of the high cost of education on the lives of class participants.

One of the class activities is for each family unit to write down on a card the total consumer debt they owe. Consumer debt does not include a first mortgage but does include college student loans that are owed.

It is not unusual for college graduates to owe over $50,000 in student loan debt and often double that if both husband and wife have college loan indebtedness. It may be that those owing student loans attended college but never graduated.

Informed Choices For The Best College Education Decision

I wonder if students and their parents made their choice of a specific college realizing that an affordable college degree was the last thing they achieved when their student loan payments became due.

To produce a list of various college education choices, using designations such as highest tuition and fees and lowest tuition and fees will help families see the impact of specific college program on their financial picture.

The question will be if families and their students will have the courage to say "No, that specific college is just too expensive."

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spells out reason for listing colleges according to affordability, saying:

• “These lists are a helpful tool for students and families as they determine what college or university is the best fit for them.”
• “We hope this information will encourage schools to continue their efforts to make the costs of college more transparent so students make informed decisions and aren't saddled with unmanageable debt.”

Affordability And College Education Actually Used In Same Sentence

If the student's goal is an affordable college degree, the idea is that a student complete college having manageable debt, and dare I say it, no college debt.

Can you imagine actually graduating from college without student loan indebtedness? Thankfully there are organizations that exist that help students obtain their college degree without much debt, completing their education from regionally accredited universities, doing so faster and cheaper that the traditional college approach.

One organization committed to helping students obtain an affordable college degree is CollegePlus.

Exploring Affordable College Degree Resources

Press Release Announcing College Affordability List

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