The rising costs of tuition have outpaced the earnings of students working part-time during their college years, according to a recent analysis featured in The Atlantic. A student without family support or financial aid would need to work an exhausting 48 hours per week at minimum wage to cover their college expenses.
Tuition Rates Over the Decades
To illustrate the stark difference over the decades, let’s consider the tuition rates at Michigan State University (MSU). In 1979, the price for a credit hour was $24.50 (equivalent to $79.23 today), while the federal minimum wage stood at $2.90. This meant a student only needed to work approximately eight and a half hours to afford one credit hour. A month of part-time work or a summer of full-time employment could cover an entire semester’s tuition.
Fast-forward to today, and the cost of a credit hour has surged to $428.75. This means a student now has to dedicate around 60 hours of work just to pay for a single credit hour. Enrolling in a typical 12-credit semester would require a staggering commitment of roughly 48 hours of work each week in addition to studying—an unrealistic expectation for many.
The Perspective of Students
Randy Thompson, a graduate student who analyzed these figures, argues that “working your way through college is no longer a viable option.” According to Thompson, those who graduated in the early 1990s were among the last cohorts who could reasonably manage to finance their education through part-time work, as credit hour costs escalated past the threshold of 20 hours of work.
Wider Trends in Higher Education
This trend is not unique to MSU; similar patterns have emerged at various public universities across the nation. A student in 2013 would need to put in six months of full-time work just to pay for a year of tuition.
And let’s not forget living expenses—room and board add another layer of financial strain. For budget-conscious students, living at home may be the most practical solution, but this isn’t a possibility for everyone. For those without parental support, non-dischargeable loans become an inevitable, albeit unfavorable, option. If graduates struggle to secure employment, they find themselves in a precarious position, burdened with debt without the means to repay it.
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Conclusion
In summary, financing college through part-time work appears increasingly unattainable for today’s students, as soaring tuition costs and living expenses create significant barriers. The financial landscape has shifted dramatically since the late 20th century, making it imperative for prospective students to explore alternative funding options to avoid crippling debt.