Boomers Are Going Back To College For Just $10 A Credit Meanwhile Young People Are Straddled With Debt From Outrageous Fees
The wealthiest generation gets to go back to school for cheap while young students are forced into debt for life?
Sirtravelalot / Shutterstock via Canva A Minnesota university is providing senior citizens with the opportunity to go to class for cheap, and people are calling it out for being hypocritical.
For many young people, college is touted as the obvious next step after graduating high school in order to pursue a successful career. A significant proportion of jobs require a four-year college degree, and college graduates tend to have higher incomes, greater job security, and better benefits than workers without a bachelor’s degree.
For most students, college is primarily a means of career advancement rather than an opportunity to learn solely for the sake of learning. Otherwise, why would millions of students go into debt to attend?
The University of Minnesota’s Senior Citizen Education Program is letting seniors take college classes for $10 a credit.
According to the University of Minnesota’s website, the Senior Citizen Education Program is part of a state statute that applies to all public colleges in Minnesota. State residents 62 or older can enroll in courses for reduced costs whether or not they have already earned a degree.
At the University of Minnesota, this means senior citizens can take classes for only $10 per credit.
This program provides older students with an amazing opportunity to learn about any subjects they might be interested in. They can pick up new hobbies, take up a new craft, and make connections with other students on campus.
The program is undeniably positive for its beneficiaries, and increasing accessibility in education is important. What people take issue with is that for the majority of students, college is anything but accessible or affordable. Letting members of the wealthiest generation in US history go to college at such a discounted rate while young students are forced to spend their entire lives paying off debt didn’t sit well with many users who heard about the program on social media.
“This is a slap in the face to anyone with student debt” and “Cool, now do it for everyone” were popular sentiments. One person wrote, “If you can charge seniors $10 a credit make it affordable for everyone, especially young people.” Another said “Why aren’t [credits] that price for the young people upon whom our entire future, well-being, safety, and success depend? What are we thinking?”
“I will die before paying off my student loans. Their college was cheap as h--l the first round and now they get it next to free again after f--king over the economy and the environment,” was one Twitter reply to NBC’s tweet. Another said, “An entire generation has gone into a lifetime of debt because of policies and laws that Boomers created, and now [they get] to have fun going back to college?”
“I honestly would not be opposed to this on principle–education is great! Except I paid, what, $150 a credit for the same school my parents attended for FREE to supposedly get a “good job” and I’m just glad I didn’t spend the $1,200+ per credit so many of my peers went into debt for,” said another Twitter response.
Users pointed out that these same seniors getting to take cheap classes were often able to pay their college tuition on a part-time worker’s salary when they were young, a completely unattainable reality for modern students. “They got cheap college once, so how about a second time?” and “They get next-to-free college twice. Super cool,” were two such tweets.
18-year-old college students are typically expected to pay thousands of dollars per semester, not to mention other costs that come with it.
Yearly tuition at the University of Minnesota is listed at $16,598 for state residents and $36,512 for out-of-state students. Their website lists the estimated cost of attendance for state residents living on-campus as $35,404 per year and $56,818 a year for non-residents.
As of April, the national student loan debt was $1.757 trillion, with almost 44 million students in debt. With inflated tuition costs, rising loan interest rates, and stagnant wages, it's no wonder that a program offering cheap college for boomers would prompt social media backlash.
Jessica Bracken is a writer living in Davis, California. She covers entertainment and news for YourTango.