Tuition Too Much? Blame your high school

My tuition rises every year. The president of my university drafted his entire strategic outlook for the next five years around ‘financial sustainability.’ In the midst of economically tumultuous times, institutions of higher education across the nation feel the fiscal squeeze as endowments erode.

Experts in the field of higher education (of which I am not one) have postulated a multitude of theories as to why the cost of higher education seems to be rapidly rising out of control. From growth in demand for basic undergraduate education to the outdated business models upon which education institutions rely, there is a whole menu of issues that every university or college must address if they wish their education to remain an affordable commodity.

At the core of the higher education’s rapid cost growth is the new paradigm shift in the nature of the institution. Colleges and universities are expected to now provide more than the standard fare as extensive meal plans and elaborate housing set-ups become part of the collegiate arms race.

But there is one way our high schools contribute to the cost of higher education, and fortunately, a subsequent way to bring that cost down. Universities and colleges have to accept students to make money; simultaneously they must turn out a top-notch graduate to employers. If students are entering college less equipped each year to handle the rigors of the college workload, then all institutions have to devote more resources to courses that should’ve been taught in high school. Essentially, the shortcomings of high schools across the nation drive up tuitions by expecting colleges to make up the difference.

Time to step it up, high schools.