Many high school students have found themselves in a dilemma. As the cost of secondary education continues to rise, people continue to wonder if prestigious, “name-brand” colleges are worth the extra $20,000+ per year. According to Upfront, over the past 30 years, college tuition has increased by 1,120%. Thousands of graduating high school seniors are realizing that their dream school may stay just that: a dream, with a $60,000 price tag.

With the price of tuition continuing to climb, the amount of loans that students struggle to pay off is growing. Student loans nationwide today are at an all-time high of $1.4 trillion, with an average of $35,000 per graduating student (Upfront). These loans follow graduates for upwards of 20 years after receiving their diploma.

According to the College Board, the average cost for attending an in-state public college from 2015-2016 was $24,000. On the other side, the average cost for attending a “moderately priced” private university sat nearly double that, at $47,000 per year. The stereotypical dream schools such as Yale and Harvard even run north of $60,000. These price tags greatly influence and limit students’ options, as taking out loans can be potentially debilitating.

The pressure from society to attend a high end university seems to be more prevalent than ever. A New York Times journalist explains in a personal anecdote how “I didn’t know anything about student loans…. All I knew was what I was told: College was the ticket to social mobility, and good students deserved to go to schools that matched our talent and ambition”. There is an overall judgment towards students who choose a university that is “lower” than their academic abilities.  

Many are under the misconception that a high-ranking college will give them better job opportunities and salaries after graduation. Yes, this does apply to some degrees such as business and liberal arts, but the highest difference in starting salaries is not more than 15%. However, for most other majors, the difference is miniscule. For example, according to the Wall Street Journal, the difference between starting salaries of a University of Pennsylvania engineering graduate and that of Texas A&M would differ by under $1,000, whereas the difference in tuition would be over $167,000.

Nonetheless, these are just starting salaries. Once you start at a company, your work performance is what dictates any future promotions, not your alma mater.

At the end of the day, an education is an education. While a prestigious college may look great on paper, no school is truly perfect. With the debt that many find themselves buried in years later, is a name-brand university really worth the money?