A college education in the U.S. has become virtually impossible for the average American to afford without state or federal loans, grants, scholarships or support from family members. Meanwhile, tuition continues to increase, and the student's share of the cost has grown.
While there are some states that have actually cut their funding for state universities, The Chronicle of Higher Education's senior reporter Eric Kelderman told Axios that enrollment numbers are a big factor in the decreasing funding-per-student data — the more students there are, the less funding there is to go around.
Republican House members are proposing a sweeping higher education reform bill next week, which in part aims to fix this problem by capping federal student loans and incentivizing universities to ensure their students succeed post-graduation. Meanwhile, Democrats advocate for solutions like loan forgiveness or free college — as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders often campaigned on in 2016.
