Hearing held at Penn State to talk about college affordability

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – Today many Americans go to college after graduating from high school however, many leave with more debt than expected.

The Pennsylvania House Education Committee came to Penn State to talk about the affordability of college tuition. When many are thinking about college the first question that comes to mind is the price and some can’t afford it. While others rely on assistance.

“When will they be able to afford to buy a car? When can they buy a house? When can they afford to start a family? People with large debt loads are typically delayed and all of those things, and they also have less buying power, which means they’re putting less money back into the economy,” Deputy Secretary & Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kate Shaw said.

According to Dr. Shaw, the average debt from a four-year institution is $40,000, a price tag many young adults can’t afford even after getting a diploma and a job.

“The challenges they face dealing with student debt and the many, many difficult choices that they had to make following their education,” Representative Paul Takac said.

Families across the commonwealth look at the price tag and have second thoughts

“It costs a lot of money to go to college, and Is it going to be worth it? Now, you can’t boil down the value of a college degree only to dollars and cents. But for more and more people in the Commonwealth, it becomes a really big and deciding question. If I invest in this education, if I get myself into however much debt, is that going to pay off for me or am I going to be able to make myself a good life,” Shaw said.

But in some cases, the affordability is assisted by state and federal dollars and can help change lives.

“When I applied to college, I was homeless. I bounced between hotels and just like different friend’s places,” Zion Sykes, President of the University Park Undergraduate Association said.

Sykes says many don’t like to talk about issues they have out loud but it is not a silent issue.

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“I wouldn’t say silent issue because it’s it’s not silent. When you’re dealing with it constantly and you’re, you know, in some cases your stomach’s grumbling, it’s loud. Then it’s it’s an issue that surrounds us that you just would never think about if you aren’t going through it,” Sykes added.

The state is working on ways to make college affordable for everybody in the state including new scholarships and grant programs.

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