Is College Still Worth The Cost

Is College Still Worth The Cost?

This annotated bibliography comprises summaries of various research articles that examined issues regarding the cost- benefit of higher education programs. The paper examines ten sources that include printed journals and books. For each research source to be considered critical in this bibliography, it was required to meet two criteria. First, each research article has to be  published as an ETS study report or as a College research report. Conference proceedings and presentations have not been considered because they sometime do not go thorough scientific scrutiny as compared to fully published articles. The second criterion is that the article must represent its study as an evaluation/impact study that provides a valid research.

Altbach, Philip, Patricia  Gumport and Bruce Johnstone. In Defense of American Higher Education. Baltimore, MD and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.

Various chapters of this published report are relevant to higher education analysts according to higher education finance trust and the international comparative perspective. Introductory chapter by Philip Altbach presents special perception to American higher education that favors it in an international perspective.  Chapter 5 by Martin Trows puts forth the ubiquitous need for societal awareness in order to raise the international perception of college education. The author compares the United States education with reference to Japan and Europe.  Chapter 6 by Johnstone evaluates the political impact on college education. The author explains that the allegation that colleges have no control over the cost is a defensive tactic that most governments use to deviate from responsibility of providing basic higher education. The allegation supports the need to have a devolved education system that would promote the quality of education and brings into book the irresponsible higher education institutions in order to balance cost and benefits. The article emphasis on the importance of cost control, sharing of resources and the need to reduce the tuition cost. The article summarizes by advocating a continued balance between tuition cost and the quality of education provided in order to comply with the tuition policies and the international assessment of higher education.

Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Restoring Nation’s Commitment to Equal Educational Opportunity. A Report of the Advisory Committee on Student Finance Assistance, Washington, DC: Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 2001.

The report explains three correlated factors that promote crisis in quality of education provided by higher education institutions. The three factors include the rising cost of higher education resulting from reduced purchasing power of the income earned. Secondly, there is shifting of policy statements that limits the availability of higher education to certain classes of people in the society that creates discrimination. This causes a rise in the unmet need to students from low-income earning families. Thirdly, there is no uniform selection of colleges by students. The process therefore lowers the student’s possibility of college comple…………………………………..