Efficiency can counteract tuition increases

Last week I wrote that with today’s difficult budget situations, public colleges and universities in Missouri weren’t specifying any cuts they would make to match the increases in tuition they plan to implement at their schools in response to the state’s decreased funding for higher education. Governor Nixon confirmed in his State of the State address last week that the budget he sent to the state legislature for consideration includes a seven percent cut in higher education funding from the this year’s levels. While this is a blow to the state’s public colleges and will affect thousands of students, the importance of a college education can’t continue to gradually become less and less accessible to students because of increasing costs to attend. As is the case in many situations, the people most affected by these cost increases can’t control the rising costs, but they can do their best to create their own efficiencies and streamline their path to a college degree. Like anything, a well thought-out plan can save you time and money when it comes to making an education affordable.

One of the most effective ways to save money on college is to start before the student even leaves high school. Many local school districts partner with local colleges to offer high school students the opportunity to take what is known as dual credit courses during their junior and senior years. Paying a reduced rate, students are able to take college level classes in math, science, history, and language arts while earning their high school diploma. This takes out much of the overhead and extra fees colleges would charge a normally enrolled student. Since high school students are in class more during the week than college students, graduating high school seniors can sometimes graduate with as much as 30 credit hours already under their belt, equal to approximately an entire year of college. This varies based on the courses completed and whether the college will accept particular classes towards requirements in their degree programs. One reason to keep an open line of communication with high school counselors is so they provide specific information in regards to learning the specific requirements of individual colleges. They can research or at least provide guidance on where to find the appropriate answers.

There’s no use in taking college credit hours in high school if you waste them away once on campus. While few are able to simply turn a four-year program into a three-year college experience through dual-credit classes, it’s very possible and there’s no denying the cost savings of doing so. An extra class either in the evening, over the summer, or online on top of a regular course load every once in awhile can really make a big difference. The additional money not spent on rent, meals, and required fees that each semester contain can offer significant savings if avoided. On the other hand, extra semesters on top of the average four-year path to a degree caused by changing majors, failing classes, poor planning, etc. are wasteful and costly.

The advantages of dual credit are numerous and a cost effective head start to students. This gives them an early exposure to college level material while still in a familiar environment and the chance to save themselves thousands of dollars in additional student loans and interest. Buying textbooks online instead of at the university bookstore, working a part-time job a few hours a week, and taking advantage of some of the less expensive options that universities offer from time to time are a few more of the small things that can be done to decrease the cost of their overall education experience.

College institutions themselves may not be interested in simultaneously matching their tuition increases with new ways to efficiently provide a high quality education, but that doesn’t mean students can’t learn the valuable lesson themselves while going through the process themselves. Although I support Mark Twain’s idea of not letting school interfere with someone’s education, it’s a great time to have young adults see first-hand how planning ahead and looking for small savings can significantly benefit them.