College Loans Be a Hindrance to Education

In today's professional world, higher education has evolved into a social norm. If you want to earn more money, you have to go to school longer and build up your credentials. In fact, a bachelor's degree in today's culture is equivalent to a high school diploma years ago. Of course, pursuing post high school education involves more than grades, and ambition, it is heavily influenced by financial capacity.

Many high school graduates, even the top ranked students, are forced to take on blue collar jobs because of financial constraint. Sure, there are many scholarships available, but are fairly limited. Now, issues arise with the role the government should play in assisting students in continuing their education to strive for their dreams. Many people are failing to look at the financial rewards, as well as other perks of getting a higher level education. Many students want to avoid taking out loans, but are they really that burdensome down the road?

Just imagine you're an average kid that just graduated from high school. You got into an average university but cannot afford the tuition. You don't qualify for any scholarships or grants. Now what? Do you feel too intimated by loans? You shouldn't be and here's why.

In the long run, most people work to earn money to support their families. Well the good news is that there is a strong correlation between education and earnings. In fact, this correlation is true for ALL racial groups and men AND women. Well what if I start working immediately out of school, won't that be financially better than going to school for at least four years and paying all that tuition? WRONG! Studies show there is an increasing earnings gap between high school graduates and college graduates. Thus, the life time earnings of an average college graduate far exceeds the life time earnings of an average high school graduate, even taking education costs into consideration. So financially, you are well off.

What else can you get from a college degree? Studies show that low unemployment rates and poverty levels are linked to higher education. Basically, the government is able to collect more tax revenue from you, but you're still able to live a happy, healthy live. With more government support, comes more societal gain and increased quality of life since the public sector is able to support its citizens, including you. Keep in mind, you don't have to be a genius, these studies pertain to the average person.

Let's look at numbers. According to the U.S Census Bureau, the average after-tax income, in dollars, is as follows:

Professional Degree - 74,500
Doctoral Degree - 59,500
Master's Degree - 46,600
Bachelor's Degree - 39,000
Associate Degree - 31,500
Some College - 29,000
High School Graduate - 24,900
Some High School - 18,800

As you can see, there is an upward trend with education. The difference between a high school graduate income and college graduate income is almost 57%. Now you ask, I cannot afford college; I would have to take out a loan. Data by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that cumulative life time earnings net of loan repayment of a college graduate is close to 33% higher than a high school graduate.

In fact, analysis by The College Board shows that "by age 33, the typical college graduate who enrolled at age 18 has earned enough to compensate for borrowing to pay the full tuition and fees at the average public four-year institution, including interest on student loans to cover those charges, and earnings forgone during the college years." Along with financial gain, studies show that jobs for college graduates cover a greater percentage of health insurance.

These days, at least from my experience with friends of mine who took out loans, they aren't very costly. Some companies will offer you interest free loans for years after graduation, and only charge a fixed cost, say $500 for the service. So instead of paying a ridiculous amount, say nearly 1.5 times the initial tuition, your only paying about .5% more (the average private four year tuition is about $25,000 per year).

Of course, you may easily think of examples that show the contrary. Remember, this analysis is based on an average. There will of course be exceptions, which are most likely outliers, and represent an extremely small percentage of the population. As long as you have the ambition to complete your education, your investment will pay off. Think of education as an investment, not expenditure.

Getting Free Money With Government Education Grants

Education is one of the most important things in everybody's life. By completing the education one can achieve his or her goal. But recently it has been found out that the cost of education is increasing. There are many students who cannot afford to go to college due to the hiked fees. To help this kind of student, the government has planned some grants.
These are called the government education grants. These grants are available to all the needy students who are not able to complete their studies due to monetary problem. If you qualify for the government education grants then you will surely get the money required for further studies. The other best feature about this grant is that you need not repay the grant.
Helpful Grant
The government education grant is usually provided by the federal government. This money is provided to the school going children as well as to those students who wants to pursue higher studies. There are a number of grants that are given to the American students.
If you need the grant then you just need to enroll yourself and prove that you actually require the grant for your studies. One of the unique features of the government education grants is that they are not the usual loans. Therefore there is no requirement of down payment or any kind of security.
The college or the school student will be provided with the grant without any condition. The government gives the money to the students for free and never wants it back. If you try out an online search you will come to know from where these grants are given and what you need to do to get the grant.
The online search will provide you with a number of options; you can go through each of them to find out the best way to receive the grants. Try to avoid those sources which want some money look for the free sources.
Utilize the Grant
The other great news about the government education grants is that there are different kinds of grants available for the students and they can utilize the grants for their different level of studies. They can opt for various grants for more than one time till they reach their goal. You just need to submit your application and if your grant is approved then you will receive the grant for every semester.
There are some government education grants which are only used to give the college and school fees. The other grants are used to pay the other expenses regarding your education like the books, housing expense and so on. You just need to qualify to get the grants and then you need not worry about education.

While you can attain free money from government grants, it is vital you take your time to find a reputable company that is trustworthy.
Daniel J Stevens an expert on government grant programs has compared and reviewed the top Government grant programs available online today.

The Effects of an Economic Downturn on Adult Education

By comparison, the US is far more vocal about any positive outcomes as a result of an economic crisis than the UK are. Over here of course, our focus on the bleakness may well be because there is nothing positive occurring, but this seems unlikely - especially when one considers the basic parallels evident between North America's problems and our own.
In Prince George, California, it has recently been reported by pgcitizen.co.uk that adult education is booming. With the economy getting weaker, enrollment numbers essentially are getting stronger. The Center for Learning Alternatives principal, Steve Fleck, stated, 'The challenges people are suffering as a result of the economic downturn are, we hope, turning into future opportunities through our learning centre. People who are underemployed now have realized the critical need to get their credentials in order so they are ready when the economic upswing comes along'.
In the UK however, reports of this nature have not been heard. Instead, our news sources (which are incidentally often seen as of better quality by North Americans themselves) are very focused on the job losses, the lows of the 'high street', Woolworths, and the mess of the government, etc, etc. There is never any thought or discussion as to whether the credit crunch could have been a wake-up call for an entire generation.
Of course, in the US, the boom in adult education has caused a strain on services and institutions. In Salt Lake City 30 percent of funding has been taken from adult education funds, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. In the city alone, enrollments have increased by 28 percent on last year. Consequently, the decrease in money and influx in students is putting the local government and education coordinators in very difficult positions - i.e. whether to force inmates at Utah prison to pay back money for secondary education, in order to reimburse those law-abiding citizens seeking adult education.
In spite of the inherent problems with the situation, I believe the overall social shift for adults to be seeking further education is a very positive thing. This is not only because of the fact that these individuals will no doubt lead a full, more challenging, and rewarding life when the economy improves, but also because the success of the education sector at any level is nothing but a good thing - for the betterment of our children's future, and for society as a whole. And so if we are ignoring an adult education boom in the UK, it is about time we analysed and celebrated it - and if it is not yet here, I await its imminent arrival.