For some U.S. residents, in-state college is out of the question. In an effort to acquire more revenue, many state schools are targeting out-of-state students, The Washington Post reported. Out of the 50 “state flagship” schools, 43 have enrolled fewer freshmen in 2014 than they did in the mid-1990s.
Tuition for out-of-state students can be more than two and a half times as high as that of in-state students, according to the College Board. This makes them more valuable to colleges in need of more money. The appeal of international students is even greater because they are ineligible to receive federal financial aid and must pay full tuition.
State schools used to be institutions that opened up a door to higher education for students who couldn’t afford private schooling. But with public schools favoring out-of-state-applicants, some students won’t be able to go to college who otherwise could have gone in their state.
Students whose families have lived in a state for almost two decades deserve the choice of going to a state school. They’ve invested years and years of tax money into the schools. That can’t be refunded.
This is especially devastating for in-state residents who have grown up in a culture that emphasizes the experience of going to a state school. People who have dreamt for all of their lives of attending a state school could be denied just because of where they live. Add that fact onto the raging hormones of teenage existence and you’ve got a full-blown tragedy.
It’s ultimately an issue of cost. Applicants should have a choice between going to an in-state school and an out-of-state school, but the universities’ constant need of money makes everything impossible.
Sometimes college admission isn’t even a matter of accepting high-achieving applicants. It’s a matter of money. And that’s not what should be happening. It’s only expected that admissions are getting more competitive, but students shouldn’t be competing based on how much money they’ll be able to spend on tuition.
A hot topic in this country is the quest to make education affordable to the greatest number of people. But if we want to do this, state schools need to allow more in-state applicants into their campuses.
If money is the main issue in this discussion, then public colleges should be able to divert funds from their sports programs to keep themselves afloat. They should also take a note from private universities, and endlessly hound their alumni for money. There’s also the larger issue of the government not providing enough funding for higher education. That shows few signs of improving, though.
There’s more than just financial justification for admitting students from other states. Colleges want to accept out-of-state students for the sake of diversity. That’s good — students shouldn’t be surrounded by people from only one homogenous background. But state schools used to target almost exclusively in-state students anyway. The lack of state diversity came along with the reduced tuition.
For potential in-state residents, attending school out of state also takes away the luxury of being able to go home. The appeal of in-state schools for most applicants is the low cost of tuition and proximity to home. Add the cost of long-distance travel to out-of-state tuition, and college looks drastically more expensive for those students forced to leave their home state.
Graduates are seen as well-rounded if they’ve traveled far away just to attend college. That’s a major motive for international students. But leaving home behind for college isn’t for everyone.
If this trend continues, then maybe it won’t even be an issue in the future. Residents will have little reason to apply to state schools if they aren’t accepting in-state residents. There’s no incentive to apply to a college that doesn’t want you, anyway.
The whole purpose of public schools will become defunct and there will be even less of a difference between public and private schools.
Though it’s all on a state-by-state and school-by-school basis, state schools need to serve those who fund them. Denying enrollment to residents on the basis of funding is cheap and unfair. Because when it comes to education, there’s no time to play.
