Me too. A MPH at a state school was just barely affordable thanks to socking money away when she was born. Not everyone can afford to do that but it was worth the trouble.
Thanks for this analysis. I hadn’t seen this information elsewhere.
There’s another longterm effect of all these polices that a future (non-evil) administration would not be able to quickly fix. The media obsess over elite private institutions and flagship state schools, but the overwhelming majority of students attend small privates and state branch and regional colleges. These schools don’t attract the wealthy fail-kiddies or the wealthy hardly at all.
Non-elite institutions are already struggling due to demographic changes (a depressed birthrate 18 or so years ago, a drop in foreign enrollments), and many are in grave peril.
If the overall population of college-going student further shrinks due to these MAGA policies, these smaller schools will be forced to close, thus reducing opportunity even if funding, etc., is fully restored. That destruction will take generations to undo. Bye-bye American “greatness.” The Make America Great Again movement has done and is doing more to undermine this nation’s “greatness” than any foreign adversary could dream.
Repayment options narrowed. Pell Grants under pressure. These aren't random policy decisions landing randomly on random populations. This causes reduced access, compounding debt, and credential stratification. It's functioning exactly as a class-sorting mechanism would if you designed one on purpose. Whether that's intent or consequence we can technically debate but the results aren't debatable.
Worth holding this next to the student loan relief data specifically: 82.9% of Black undergraduates take federal loans. The SAVE plan eliminated. Repayment options narrowed. Pell Grants under pressure. These aren't random policy decisions landing randomly on random populations.
Same outcome I mentioned above: reduced access, compounding debt, credential stratification. Again... It is functioning exactly as a class-sorting mechanism would if you designed one on purpose.
There may not be much thought that’s gone into this. It’s just another front in the battle against women. Against minorities. Against Asian and African and other immigrants whose tuition has boosted universities across the country. Against science and medicine and the humanities. Against Art. It all sucks. It is cruel, and it is evil.
Many graduate programs only require 9 credit hours (typically 3 courses) to be considered full-time and many offer online courses and programs which reduce costs by not requiring driving and parking, and allow someone working part- or full-time to do their coursework around their jobs. Part of the problem with the way a "professional" program is defined is that people making the rules have no idea what is required in many fields. If someone with an undergraduate accounting degree wants to qualify as a CPA they need 150 hours which is generally an additional 30 credit hours. A masters degree is not required but getting these hours without one is difficult. Most additional accounting courses are only offered at the graduate level and, while sometimes a qualified student can take 1 or 2 graduate courses before being accepted into a masters program, many programs don't allow this. If a student chooses not to enter a graduate program they're also facing competition from other accountants who will have a masters degree. I also suspect that many rule makers think nurses do nothing but take blood pressure and give out pills. Heaven forbid they learn about anything they're passing regulations and laws about.
All college students should be required to take two years of required course in various fields. Then they could major in whatever they want. No tradition college courses should be eliminated.
Reform colleges by greatly reducing the number of administrators.
Grateful that my daughter graduates from college this morning. IU has also eliminated/consolidated the type of degress offered.
Me too. A MPH at a state school was just barely affordable thanks to socking money away when she was born. Not everyone can afford to do that but it was worth the trouble.
Skull & Bones for me, not thee?
Thanks to state schools, college has been almost affordable but even they are becoming too costly.
When I went to college - 1968 - the University of California system was free to Californians. (I was out-of-state—I think we paid an extra grand.)
Thanks for this analysis. I hadn’t seen this information elsewhere.
There’s another longterm effect of all these polices that a future (non-evil) administration would not be able to quickly fix. The media obsess over elite private institutions and flagship state schools, but the overwhelming majority of students attend small privates and state branch and regional colleges. These schools don’t attract the wealthy fail-kiddies or the wealthy hardly at all.
Non-elite institutions are already struggling due to demographic changes (a depressed birthrate 18 or so years ago, a drop in foreign enrollments), and many are in grave peril.
If the overall population of college-going student further shrinks due to these MAGA policies, these smaller schools will be forced to close, thus reducing opportunity even if funding, etc., is fully restored. That destruction will take generations to undo. Bye-bye American “greatness.” The Make America Great Again movement has done and is doing more to undermine this nation’s “greatness” than any foreign adversary could dream.
Repayment options narrowed. Pell Grants under pressure. These aren't random policy decisions landing randomly on random populations. This causes reduced access, compounding debt, and credential stratification. It's functioning exactly as a class-sorting mechanism would if you designed one on purpose. Whether that's intent or consequence we can technically debate but the results aren't debatable.
Worth holding this next to the student loan relief data specifically: 82.9% of Black undergraduates take federal loans. The SAVE plan eliminated. Repayment options narrowed. Pell Grants under pressure. These aren't random policy decisions landing randomly on random populations.
Same outcome I mentioned above: reduced access, compounding debt, credential stratification. Again... It is functioning exactly as a class-sorting mechanism would if you designed one on purpose.
There may not be much thought that’s gone into this. It’s just another front in the battle against women. Against minorities. Against Asian and African and other immigrants whose tuition has boosted universities across the country. Against science and medicine and the humanities. Against Art. It all sucks. It is cruel, and it is evil.
Many graduate programs only require 9 credit hours (typically 3 courses) to be considered full-time and many offer online courses and programs which reduce costs by not requiring driving and parking, and allow someone working part- or full-time to do their coursework around their jobs. Part of the problem with the way a "professional" program is defined is that people making the rules have no idea what is required in many fields. If someone with an undergraduate accounting degree wants to qualify as a CPA they need 150 hours which is generally an additional 30 credit hours. A masters degree is not required but getting these hours without one is difficult. Most additional accounting courses are only offered at the graduate level and, while sometimes a qualified student can take 1 or 2 graduate courses before being accepted into a masters program, many programs don't allow this. If a student chooses not to enter a graduate program they're also facing competition from other accountants who will have a masters degree. I also suspect that many rule makers think nurses do nothing but take blood pressure and give out pills. Heaven forbid they learn about anything they're passing regulations and laws about.
All college students should be required to take two years of required course in various fields. Then they could major in whatever they want. No tradition college courses should be eliminated.
Reform colleges by greatly reducing the number of administrators.