OT Tuition is getting stupid

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Didn't want to piss in the parking garage thread's Cheerios, but the spending spree needs to slow down. Tuition has just about trippled at Mississippi State since 1999... $3017 vs $8910. If it we're just pegged to inflation in that time period, it would currently be at $4638.56, so it's damn near twice as expensive to attend school vs the year we beat Clemson in the Peach Bowl... Doesn't feel that long ago and I doubt the education is very much better.

Way to much money going into creature comforts on college campuses.

Tuition has increased an average of 5.56% per year while inflation has only been at 2.17%. This is snowballing. If you currently have a child under the age of ten and want to see your grandchildren attend Mississippi State in 40 years it will cost approximately $77,600 per year for instate tuition if it continues to increase as it has. Just in case you want to avoid the math that's about $42,000 in today's dollars if we stay at 2.17% inflation...

What is the end game? Obviously we are not going to see tuition roll back. More taxes? More donations.. good luck. I think it's time to put a cap on tuition increases. I hope Mississippi State does this before everyone else... Otherwise my kids are going to homeschool for college.

 

[JungRebel]

Yeah but if you jack it up now it wont look like you're artificially inflating it when free tuition gets amended into the Bill of Rights.**

 

[johnson86-1]

Didn't want to piss in the parking garage thread's Cheerios, but the spending spree needs to slow down. Tuition has just about trippled at Mississippi State since 1999... $3017 vs $8910. If it we're just pegged to inflation in that time period, it would currently be at $4638.56, so it's damn near twice as expensive to attend school vs the year we beat Clemson in the Peach Bowl... Doesn't feel that long ago and I doubt the education is very much better.

Way to much money going into creature comforts on college campuses.

Tuition has increased an average of 5.56% per year while inflation has only been at 2.17%. This is snowballing. If you currently have a child under the age of ten and want to see your grandchildren attend Mississippi State in 40 years it will cost approximately $77,600 per year for instate tuition if it continues to increase as it has. Just in case you want to avoid the math that's about $42,000 in today's dollars if we stay at 2.17% inflation...

What is the end game? Obviously we are not going to see tuition roll back. More taxes? More donations.. good luck. I think it's time to put a cap on tuition increases. I hope Mississippi State does this before everyone else... Otherwise my kids are going to homeschool for college.

It’s stupid, but if we didn’t plow money into facilities, we wouldn’t be competitive for students. And our tuition is still dirt cheap relatively speaking.

I expect our kids to be able to get an associates degree roughly in line with when they graduate high school, so hopefully we’ll only have two and a half or three years of state tuition.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

tuition goes up because more money is available from the consumer- its a ponzi scheme that will crash soon. stop giving every swinging dick that has a 4.3 HS grade pt avg $50k!!

 

[stateguy]

Listened to investing podcast recently - hosts are UGA grads. Said UGA is averaging 7%/year increase over same time frame

 

[paindonthurt_]

Guessing it’s a Bubble similar to the housing markets.
Government should stay out of subsidizing student loans.

 

[engie]

STEM or trade school...

It’s a racket because for over a generation now we’ve perpetuated the myth that college is for everyone and set up virtually worthless degree programs to accommodate them.

MSU is still one of the best values in the country, or at least it was a couple of years ago when I last checked

 

[Maroonthirteen]

The MS community colleges are growing. I know a good number of kids, whose parents have the means and the kids have the grades, that are sending their kids to community colleges because of the tuition and housing cost at State and OM.

 

[Dawg1976]

Even back in my day when tuition was inexpensive, I attended a 2 year jr college for the purpose of saving money. Amazes me more people don't take advantage of local community colleges for the first couple of years of college.

 

[aTotal360]

Yup. Since the govt protects 99% of the money given out, the universities have no problem asking for it. Allow only private institutions to give out student loans and watch the cost of tuition plummet.

Secondly, the LSU locker rooms vs library debate is ignorant. The money LSU used for their facilities was given specifically to bolster those facilities. They had to spend it on where they spent it.

 

[Allday.sixpack]

Mpact worked for us. It pays $4500 per semester good for 5 years(45,000). We invested 12,000 in the year 2000.

 

[Dawgbite]

STEM or trade school...

It’s a racket because for over a generation now we’ve perpetuated the myth that college is for everyone and set up virtually worthless degree programs to accommodate them.

MSU is still one of the best values in the country, or at least it was a couple of years ago when I last checked

THIS ! Not everybody is meant to go to college, some people are meant to go through life with their name on their shirt. It's not belittling them its just a fact. I have a friend who turned a high school education and a plumbing work truck into a plumbing, HVAC, and electrical empire. These kids should really be identified early in high school and steered toward technical degrees and trades instead of concentrating on passing standardized test. The kicker is how do you do this without being accused of discrimination?

 

[bulldogbaja]

Absolutely! Just not my kids...

 

[KentuckyDawg13]

It's a scam. I have two college aged kids, and I can emphatically say it is a freaking racket . And the housing is ridiculous too. Have no idea what MSU prices are since I am out of state now, but colleges like UofL and UK blow away the prices you speak of. It's very disheartening for my kids, as they do not want to get loans. I had loans back in the day, but my total loan amount for 4 yrs @ MSU was cheaper than one year @ UofL currently.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

No they aren’t. Their enrollment was down last year and is expected to be down again. So is IHL System. However, MSU continues to grow in spite of sister institutions and CJC decline.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

I wouldn’t be surprised in the next few years if Mississippi State borrows from Ole Miss’s student recruiting handbook and looks to get much more out-of-state students. While both schools are perceived by a lot of folks outside the state as not being that great, I think that largely comes from one consequence of the Ayers settlement— all IHLs having the same lower entrance standards.

 

[Go Budaw]

It’s been stupid for awhile. And it will remain so until the student loan bubble bursts.

 

[Goat Holding Inc]

It's a scam. I have two college aged kids, and I can emphatically say it is a freaking racket . And the housing is ridiculous too. Have no idea what MSU prices are since I am out of state now, but colleges like UofL and UK blow away the prices you speak of. It's very disheartening for my kids, as they do not want to get loans. I had loans back in the day, but my total loan amount for 4 yrs @ MSU was cheaper than one year @ UofL currently.

So why not send your kids to MSU? Being an alumni, I'm fairly certain you can negotiate your way out of out-of-state tuition, or at least a big chunk of it.

 

[notoriousD_O_G]

THIS ! Not everybody is meant to go to college, some people are meant to go through life with their name on their shirt. It's not belittling them its just a fact. I have a friend who turned a high school education and a plumbing work truck into a plumbing, HVAC, and electrical empire. These kids should really be identified early in high school and steered toward technical degrees and trades instead of concentrating on passing standardized test. The kicker is how do you do this without being accused of discrimination?

Yeah the problem is that a lot of people dont realize they arent cut out for college until theyve spent two years of student loans

 

[Arthur2478]

Mpact worked for us. It pays $4500 per semester good for 5 years(45,000). We invested 12,000 in the year 2000.

MPACT is a bargain if you're thinking long range. I bought 4 years worth of tuition for my daughter when she was born (7 years ago) for about $25k.

 

[57stratdawg]

Everyone needs to go to college. The benefits to the individual and society are too great to make the argument otherwise. Most people just aren’t fully aware of them.

Read The New Economy of Jobs. It goes into detail the social and individual benefits of higher education. It’s a lottery ticket that’s virtually guaranteed to win.

 

[VegasDawg13]

These kids should really be identified early in high school and steered toward technical degrees and trades

A ******* 14 year old should not be "steered" toward anything. They're entire life is still in front of them.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

I googled the title but don't see it. Can you provide a link?

 

[Mafiadawg]

As long as people who are not cut out for college are able to get butt loads of student loans, colleges will continue to increase prices. I do agree that the bubble will eventually burst.

We are diversifying between Mpact and Macs and hopefully it will serve us well. Could maybe even benefit from a bubble burst.

 

[VegasDawg13]

Yeah the problem is that a lot of people dont realize they arent cut out for college until theyve spent two years of student loans

The insistence that everyone begin college immediately after high school should go away. I believe that would help. "Gap years" should be much more common. Take some time to figure out what you want to do.

 

[Daddy Rabbit Dawg]

Mpact worked for us. It pays $4500 per semester good for 5 years(45,000). We invested 12,000 in the year 2000.

This is exactly what we did, but I think it was 2002...roughly $14500. Best investment we ever made. Since my daughter is graduating in 4 years, we'll get some money back at the end. We had enough in the account to pay for summer school this summer, which is more expensive than Fall/Spring tuition.

 

[catvet]

It is getting very expensive but if you are going for an actual wage earning degree it is still a bargain. By that I mean paying for 4 years of college to get an art appreciation degree is idiocy.

If I had to start college today, I would attend a Community College for the first two years. I don't need to pay four times as much the first two years just for the college experience when the coursework is the same.

I have calculated the difference my degrees have made vs what I would have made with either no degree or a technical/trade degree and over 40 years of work it will be around 3.5 million dollars. So yes I consider a college degree a great investment.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

And who pays for that year?

The insistence that everyone begin college immediately after high school should go away. I believe that would help. "Gap years" should be much more common. Take some time to figure out what you want to do.

This is not realistic for a majority of people.

 

[vorticityDawg]

Rising tuition is due largely to decreasing state funding.

Way to much money going into creature comforts on college campuses.

This argument is poor for two reasons:
1. I share your perspective, but better facilities and/or services are required to recruit students in a competitive market.
2. 58% or more (do the math) of the tuition increases are due to decreasing state funding (https://mississippitoday.org/2018/0...ities-could-see-tuition-rise-about-4-percent/)
"According to the report, state and local appropriations for each student enrolled full-time in Mississippi universities have decreased by nearly 24 percent compared to pre-recession numbers."

MSU is struggling to hang on to good employees due to poor funding. They are not spending frivolously just because of "free government-loan money."

 

[Digging dog]

I think it was just under a thousand in 86 if I remember right.

 

[NWADawg]

Tuition

Didn't want to piss in the parking garage thread's Cheerios, but the spending spree needs to slow down. Tuition has just about trippled at Mississippi State since 1999... $3017 vs $8910. If it we're just pegged to inflation in that time period, it would currently be at $4638.56, so it's damn near twice as expensive to attend school vs the year we beat Clemson in the Peach Bowl... Doesn't feel that long ago and I doubt the education is very much better.

Way to much money going into creature comforts on college campuses.

Tuition has increased an average of 5.56% per year while inflation has only been at 2.17%. This is snowballing. If you currently have a child under the age of ten and want to see your grandchildren attend Mississippi State in 40 years it will cost approximately $77,600 per year for instate tuition if it continues to increase as it has. Just in case you want to avoid the math that's about $42,000 in today's dollars if we stay at 2.17% inflation...

What is the end game? Obviously we are not going to see tuition roll back. More taxes? More donations.. good luck. I think it's time to put a cap on tuition increases. I hope Mississippi State does this before everyone else... Otherwise my kids are going to homeschool for college.

It's not just State. UPig is the same story. Two sons 4 years apart and 1st year tuition was drastically more for 2nd kid. We also payed $6500 for a crappy tiny dorm room for first year. That's $13,000 between him and roommate for a room so small the desk was under the bed and no closet.

 

[was21]

Might be interesting to see the increase in administrative staff positions over that period of time...just guessing it might provide some insight

 

[paindonthurt_]

No everyone doesn’t.
Unless colleges start technical programs that train skilled labor.
We can’t have a country full of people who are all “prepared” for management/business/engineering and no one to do the actual work.
That’s a model that won’t survive.
It’s impossible.

 

[paindonthurt_]

There are tons of manufacturing jobs right now that pay great money but they can’t fill rhem with qualified labor. That’s sad. Very sad.
Think of the lower income people who could be so much further along in life right now if they could perform or be qualified for those jobs.
Then they could pay for their kids education vs asking someone else to do it.

 

[Nunya.sixpack]

Everyone needs to go to college. The benefits to the individual and society are too great to make the argument otherwise. Most people just aren’t fully aware of them.

Read The New Economy of Jobs. It goes into detail the social and individual benefits of higher education. It’s a lottery ticket that’s virtually guaranteed to win.

I know I'm glad the girl that poured my coffee at starbucks this morning had a gender studies degree. made that coffee taste so much better.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Get a job?
High schoolers have jobs.
A high school graduate could get a job and learn some responsibility for a year or two and get to do some cool things also.

 

[ronpolk]

As long as the federal government is providing guarantees for student loans, the rate of tuition will keep going up. The students don’t realize the amount of debt they are taking on until it’s too late and banks don’t care if the student can pay it back since the government guarantees it.

 

[LexSCDOG]

This is exactly what we did, but I think it was 2002...roughly $14500. Best investment we ever made. Since my daughter is graduating in 4 years, we'll get some money back at the end. We had enough in the account to pay for summer school this summer, which is more expensive than Fall/Spring tuition.

I did the South Carolina version of this for both my kids. My daughter went to USC, bought in at $7k a year for tuition($28k) and when she graduated it was $12k/year, so put in $28k would have cost $48k, that is just tuition. Scholarships paid for rest. Also took some community college classes during high school and summer which is a 1/3 of USC cost to get out in 8 semesters.

Son went to MSU, the South Carolina version allowed me to take cash out( at the value of a USC education at the time I took it out, which was almost 2x MSU) and put into in a 529 to pay bills. That along with scholarships was the deal. The South Carolina version closed the year after I got in, it was to good of a deal and the South Carolina colleges tuition were raising at incredible rates due to the lottery money. Same had him take community college classes over here in SC to keep MSU at 8 semesters.

 

[Goat Holding Inc]

Could maybe even benefit from a bubble burst.

If you have cash to pay for school, absolutely.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

It is getting very expensive but if you are going for an actual wage earning degree it is still a bargain. By that I mean paying for 4 years of college to get an art appreciation degree is idiocy.

If I had to start college today, I would attend a Community College for the first two years. I don't need to pay four times as much the first two years just for the college experience when the coursework is the same.

I have calculated the difference my degrees have made vs what I would have made with either no degree or a technical/trade degree and over 40 years of work it will be around 3.5 million dollars. So yes I consider a college degree a great investment.

Would you have spent 40 years as a fry cook without your degree? There are tons of high paying professions that don't require degrees. It may be easier to break into some jobs with a degree, but after 5-10 years top performers will find a way.

The reality is most high performers these days have a degree because it was easy for them to obtain. That will not be the case if public school tuition is a couple hundred grand in today's dollars. High performers will find a smarter way.

It's been mentioned several times in this thread that the bubble will eventually burst... I want State to be on the correct side of the bubble and start today by capping tuition to a reasonable standard... Even if that means capping enrollment and have virtual teachers for those silly *** classes everyone sleeps through until they get into their major coursework...

There is a smart way to do this, but it has to be done.

ETA . I am not trying to argue with catvet, I agree with everything you said except I think your selling yourself short on what you would have been able to do without a degree.