Caught in the Middle: Too Rich for Financial Aid, Too Poor to Afford Tuition
Tuition hikes in Washington state are being disproportionately felt by students of middle-class families, The Seattle Times reports in an article today. “We’re on the cusp of creating a higher-education model in this state that only works for the very wealthy and the very poor,” said state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane.
Not long ago, students could reasonably expect to work 1-2 jobs throughout the summer to cover in-state tuition, student fees, and living expenses for each upcoming school year at a public university or college, the article explains. However, with state funding for higher education plummeting and tuition increases of up to 85% at the state's two research universities, the gap is widening between the money students can earn over the summer and what they’ll need to pay their living expenses and tuition.
“People tell me you used to be able to work one job, the entire summer, and cover your entire education,” said Stephan Yhann, a 21-year-old political science and journalism major at the University of Washington who worked two jobs last summer. “I’m not sure how long ago that was — I have a hard time believing it.”
For many middle-class students, the harsh reality is this: their family incomes are too high for them to get financial aid but too low for them to pay for their education.
Read the article here.