Failing Higher Ed System Continues to Harm Millennials as Student Loan Debt Soars

by Generation Opportunity: A cartel of powerful administrators in colleges and universities around the country is restricting students’ choices and driving up the cost of a degree. Working with the federal government, they use their power to protect their monopoly on higher education.

Thanks to their efforts, the cost of college has doubled since 1990. Higher education is increasingly unaffordable, and the negative impact on students could be lifelong.

Deferred Dreams Thanks to Debt
The next generation is being buried in massive student loan debt. A recent study shows the average amount of student loan debt has skyrocketed 828 percent since 1999. Student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt as the second largest type of debt in American households.

As the cost of college continues to rise, job opportunities remain scarce. This means fewer opportunities available for recent college graduates as they look to pay off newly-incurred student loan debts. Many are forced to put off buying a home, starting a family, or pursuing their dreams.

How the Current Higher Ed Accreditation System Is Failing Millennials
Under the federal Higher Education Act, students are only eligible to receive Title IV student loans and grants if the institution they attend is formally accredited.

The caveat is, to become accredited, an educational institution must be approved by a regional or national accrediting agency.
That’s where the cartel comes in. Members of these accrediting agencies tend to also be members of schools already approved by the Department of Education. It’s easy to see where the bias comes in here.

Accreditation boards act as gatekeepers. Rather than increasing opportunities for young people and expanding their educational options, these agencies stifle their competition and limit the choices available to students who depend on federal aid.

Washington is rigging the system against young people and driving up college costs. This makes it next to impossible for most students – all but those from the wealthiest families — to pay their own way through school, plunging millions of young Americans into debt before they’ve even begun their careers.

Young Americans need higher education reform, but the answer is not more government.

Instead, our policymakers should embrace reforms to our education system by empowering states to play a greater role in the accreditation process.

These reforms will lower costs for students across the board, ensuring that millennials from all backgrounds have access to a quality and affordable education that will set them up for success in the future.

You can help fix the current accreditation system. Sign the petition to tackle the high cost of higher ed today.
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David Barnes of Generation Opportunity shared this article, Generation Opportunity is a national, non-partisan youth advocacy organization focusing on Millennials ages 18-29.

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