As tuition increases, students seek international education

When tuition in the United States costs students an arm, a leg and maybe even a deal with the devil — or a loan officer — it comes as no surprise that many students seek university degrees outside of the country. Though the importance of a college education is stressed from the moment students enter kindergarten, they are rarely educated about the soaring costs associated with higher education. These escalated costs are why more and more American students are going overseas to countries like Germany to earn their degrees.

The U.S. does not entirely leave students to fend for themselves, but neither does it prioritize education as much as it should, evident in its meager budget when compared to the billions dedicated to military expenditures. Though officials often justify that military spending is necessary to maintain the American way of life, putting funding for education on the backburner is not only devastating for many students — sometimes deterring individuals who cannot afford high tuition from enrollment — but it is also damaging to the fabric of American society as potential educated taxpayers seek their educational opportunities

Andrew Blackman of the Wall Street Journal recently published an article on the multitude of students seeking education in Germany to take advantage of free education. According to the article, Germany began offering free college education to noncitizens in 2014, setting a goal of attracting 400,000 international students by 2020. Due to low birth rates, the country’s long-term goal involves having these international students establish careers in Germany so they can be integrated into the tax base, enabling the country to continue offering free education.

The article also stated that, as of now, Germany has only 5,000 American students; however, the number of students entering the country from the United States has steadily increased over the past few years. With tuition continuing to skyrocket, it is likely the number of American students opting for a free international education will continue to rise.

Germany has developed a genius plan, attracting educated students from around the world who will contribute to its society and economy. Meanwhile, the United States risks losing a significant portion of its future to countries who can offer their citizens a future without years of debt or financial ultimatums.

In 2014, Business Insider  reported that the United States ranked 19 out of 28 countries studied by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s “Education at a Glance” report, which looked for college graduation rates and upward educational mobility.

Considering the United States is arguably the most powerful country in the world, this is downright embarrassing and even potentially predictive of decline. A higher education is not always necessary for or indicative of individual success, but it is in a country’s best interest to have high numbers of college educated individuals. If the United States expects to maintain its status as one of the best countries to live in, it needs to prioritize the higher education of its students — a college degree not only increases the livelihood and standard of living for many individuals, but it also contributes to a country’s continued growth and development.

Yet for many students, particularly those who not only have to worry about education but supporting their families financially, completing a degree is not always feasible. Sure, it’s possible, but equal opportunity for all is certainly not in the picture. As a 2014 Forbes article put it, many students are either “too poor for college” or “too rich for financial aid.”

Students from middle- to upper-class families may have more money available to them than poorer students, but their annual income is still not enough to cover tuition costs. As the aforementioned article states, federal aid assumes families can pay thousands of dollars for their children’s education when this is not the case. Even students who fall below the median income are still expected to pay out of pocket.

For example, the Forbes report mentions Richard Morais, whose daughter was admitted to John Hopkins University; however, her financial aid package was only $6,000, in stark contrast to the $54,470 it costs to attend in just one year. The family was left with $48,470 on their shoulders. With USC’s estimated cost of attendance for the 2016-2017 school year at $69,711 (tuition alone at $51,442), many students can relate to this financial struggle.

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, the median household income for American families was $56,516 in 2015, meaning USC’s estimated cost of attendance costs more than the average yearly income can afford.

The United States is a large country, so comparing it to smaller countries like Germany, where offering free services and education is perhaps more feasible, is a bit unfair. However, when looking at the country’s budget, there is a clear need for reprioritization and improvement.

A January U.S. News report stated that federal funding for education has increased by 36 percent since 2002, rising from $50 billion to $68 billion. The biggest portion ($22 billion in 2016) is dedicated to Pell Grants.

In comparison, government military spending surpasses education spending at $596 billion, according to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute April 2016 Fact Sheet.

The U.S. government no doubt has its justifications for spending so much of its money on military defense, especially after increased concerns of domestic terrorism in a post-9/11 world, but the country’s messy history of military presence around the world raises questions of just how justified this budget is.

Perhaps the U.S. government believes it needs to dedicate so much of its budget to military spending in order to remain the most powerful country in the world, but with a budget that’s more than $500 billion, it far outranks the next country with the most military spending — China at $215 billion.

The U.S. needs to sort out its priorities. It already exceeds foreign military budgets by billions of dollars — it can afford to use some of the money for education instead. What it cannot afford is potentially losing its students and its future.