Does the cost of tuition directly correlate with the quality of education being received?

By Michael Grafton

Brandon Sanders, a graduate from the University of Florida, is one of many students who feel as though college institutions are profiting greatly as opposed to all the students who are graduates from there.

“I received my bachelors and master’s degree from UF,” said Sanders, “but somehow I’m still not making the salary that I would like.”

Sanders was a Health Science major with a master’s in Public Administration. The in-state cost of tuition for the University of Florida is just under $6,400. Upon graduation only 36% of University of Florida’s graduating class found employment within the first 6 months and having to start paying on loans.

Nakita James, an undergraduate from Mercer University, feels she receieved a high-qualilty education but the money she paid for tuition was for things campus living as opposed to education advancements.

“Mercer is known for being amongst the most beautiful campuses in the south, has great service with its campus police, and has minimal low-budget ammentities,” said James, “but what does any of that have to do with my education.”

James is a business undergraduate from Mercer and will advise anyone not to attend there because of the expensive tuition.

“It’s not worth it”, says James, “I can’t say that I would be making less money if I would have attended a university at home.”

Mercer has an in-state cost of tuition of $34,450, which is the highest in Georgia. Upon graduation 48% of Mercer University’s graduating class found employment within the first 6 months and before starting on loan payments.

Lendon Alexander, a law-school graduate from George Washington Law School, feels as though he received a very quality education at his institution and that there is a correlation between location and the quality of education.

“Because the North has always been known to be more industrial than the South”, says Alexander, “Northern institutions have different values when it comes to education as a whole and what should be know.”

Alexander attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate studies where he double-majored in Political Science and Communication, and decided to attend George Washington Law School which enables his to distinguish the difference.

George Washington has an in-state tuition of $51,950, but that’s not uncommon for institutions in its area such as Howard and other schools in the DMV area.

Each of the students have concluded to the fact that a high tuition cost doesn’t mean that your education is better than any other. There are various things factored into the cost of tuition such as location, including where is it in the United States, where is it in the State, and where is it in the city that would attract students.

Institutions also funds from tuition cost to add to the school such as more parking lots, renovated building, food options for the students, and also dorms.

Things all of which attract students to visit and perhaps even attend specific institutions.