That stressful time of year is rapidly approaching us: pressing the buttons to submit your final college applications. Pressing those buttons are life-changing decisions in terms of education, social life, and economic circumstances.
Today, college tuition is on the rise, creating a significant issue in America. Many students struggle with paying full tuition and ultimately crash into student debt by the end of their undergraduate programs.
But, what about the cost of getting into college?
How much are you paying when you sign up for the ACT or SAT, pay for tutors and counselors, driving to college fairs around the city, and travelling miles to take a tour? There goes thousands of dollars all for you to just get into college.
The amount of money to pay for these expenses is skyrocketing. However, there is still yet another crucial part of the journey into getting college that still needs to be considered: paying for college applications.
Each college individually sets their own fees on their application. Based on US News, the average application fee is $42. Even though there are some colleges — online schools, liberal arts colleges, and the United States Naval Academy — that have students apply for free, others can be up to $90. In fact, many of the top nationally ranked schools, including Stanford University, Columbia University, and Harvard University have college applications that range from $75 to $90.
That is an absurd amount of money.
Indeed, universities across America are making more than $200 million a year on rejected college applications. According to USA Today, University of California-Los Angeles makes the largest profit on rejected college applications in America, over $5 million.
As a senior currently on the voyage of the college application process, these towering numbers intimidate me. Not only am I apprehensive about these high numbers, but I believe that many other seniors at CHS are now beginning to realize how much money is being vacuumed up by these enormous expenses, including the fees of college applications.
Despite these frustrating expenses, I believe that the opportunity to go to college and pursue an education towards a professional career will hopefully make it all worthwhile in the end.
