The bill would slash tuition at community colleges and public universities. It’s now on its way to the state House for approval. If passed, the changes would go into effect for in fall 2015.
Tuition would be scaled in tiers, with the University of Washington and Washington State University having the highest. From there, other state and community colleges would have tuitions set at a lower percentage of the average wage.
In the last four years, students have continued to get the short end of the stick as the average in-state tuition rose by $4,085, a number that has been adjusted for inflation, according to KOMO News. Tuition has continued to rise, while money for higher education has been slashed at the state level.
In Washington state, 58 percent of graduates have student loan debt, with an average of $24,418, according to the Project on Student Debt. That’s slightly lower than the country’s average of 69 percent of graduates countrywide having debt, with an average of $28,400 owed.
Starting out adulthood with tens of thousands of dollars of debt is no way to set the future of our country up for success. In Washington state and Seattle, specifically, this comes at a time when young people are also experiencing high job competition and even higher rents.
There’s speculation that this bill won’t make it out of the House, but it needs to. We need to focus on a successful future, and overcharging students and crushing them with debt is not the way to do it.