Written for The Argo by Matthew Giannuario

Student debt has been a troubling topic in the United States for a while now; according to NerdWallet, the latest estimation of national student debt to be as high as 1.6 trillion dollars and rising. Now, more than ever, it’s important to support efforts made by local communities and pressure government officials into taking a more active approach toward finding a solution.

So, what are some of the ways that communities have been fighting the rising incline of student debt? The official Stockton University Twitter account recently stated that “governments should support low-cost universities like University of the People,” which would help raise awareness and support for equal-opportunity learning initiatives. 

The University of the People is a non-profit college located in California that does not force tuition fees onto its students in order for them to receive quality educations. Supporting similar institutions is one way that the federal government can combat rising tuition rates. 

To put this issue in a better perspective, students always want the best quality of education they can afford within their expected post-graduate salaries. However, if one university’s quality of education exceeds another’s while remaining much cheaper, it makes sense that they would become the more desirable option. Additionally, a lower tuition rate would help to drastically improve the productivity of students since they would be less focused on how they are going to be able to pay off their debts and more focused on their schoolwork. So, if the government supports low-cost universities by providing enough funding to increase the quality of their education and resources, then that will incentivize other universities to lower their own tuition rates in an attempt to compete with these low-cost institutions. 

The student debt crisis cannot be properly addressed without support from the community. Individuals must make their voices heard and let their local government officials know what can be done to help lower tuition rates within the local community.