For my Civics Engagement Project I chose to focus on something that has been causing many financial hardships among families across the United States. This issue I have been researching is the ridiculously high price of college. I feel as though prices should be substantially lowered to make college more affordable and a more realistic goal for many young students.

In the 2021-22 academic year, the average price of tuition and fees in Massachusetts came to $38,070 at a private college, $10,740 at a public college instate, and $27,560 at a public college outside of state. According to a report by CNBC, from 2008-2018 the average tuition at a four year public college in the U.S. increased by 37%. All of those expenses didn’t even include room and board. This is a ridiculously high amount of money for young men and women who want a chance at furthering their education. This is a big problem for many young students trying to go to college. For many people the price for college is out of reach and this makes it impossible for them to attend. This is very upsetting because they miss out on many opportunities only obtainable through a college degree. People who earned a bachelor's degree make an average of $32,000 more than someone with just a high school degree. The reasons for the high prices are that there is growing demand, rising financial aid, lower state funding, the exploding cost of administrators, and bloated student amenities packages.

It’s upsetting that we live in a society where college is a business. Many students are working multiple jobs as well as attending college full time, only to graduate with $100k in debt waiting for them. A typical student loan is structured to take about ten years to pay off. But research has shown that it takes nearly 21 years, on average. This means you could be in debt well into your forties. This puts many students in a difficult situation, because college can provide many job opportunities that wouldn’t be available with only a high school diploma.

 Because of this growing problem I have decided to start a petition to see exactly how many people share my belief of lowering the costs of college. I hope to see a good amount of signatures and positive support.

I'm planning on sharing this petition with Rep. Kate Hogan and State Senator Jamie Eldridge In order to spread awareness and make a change.

Thank you for your support.

Cameron Hill