Written by: Morgan LaValle

Across the country, college students are struggling to afford another semester of education. With a dismal job market and a slowly recovering economy, receiving a higher education remains the best option for Americans.

However, in this difficult economic time, the price of tuition is steadily rising. High costs, compounded by high unemployment, are forcing more and more students for rely on loans in order to supplement their bills. It’s no surprise, then, that the nation’s student loan debt now exceeds $1 trillion.

Even here, at the University of Akron, tuition has gone up 3.5 percent since last year alone.

Hearing about escalated cost makes it tempting to demand less spending from the institutions. Salaries could be cut, less scholarships could be given out, and building renovations could maybe wait a few more years.

But it is those rash reactions that prevent a long-term solution. Elevated tuition prices are not solely the fault of our university, for that matter any other university. The University of Akron’s 3.5-percent increase a largely the result of decreased is largely the result of decreased state funding.

Eliminating wasteful or excess government spending is good in theory, but in reality, it’s only hurting us.

According to the University of Akron website, in-state tuition is estimated at $9,552.48 for both the fall have it pretty good.

The Ohio State University charges $10,037 per year- or, for nonresidents, a staggering $25,445 per year. Attending Kent State University costs $9,672 per year and requires that you actually study at Kent State. Cleveland State University is the only university that’s slightly less expensive than Akron, at $4,632 per semester, or $9,264 per year.

All of these universities rely largely on financial support by the state of Ohio, so budget cuts can greatly affect the price of tuition. Out 3.5-percent increase may still seem like a burden, but when compared to private university costs, ten grand per year is cheap. A full year at Case Western Reserve, for example, totals $40,120. For perspective, it would cost roughly $38,209,92 for four years at the University of Akron (at the current tuition rate, and before taxes).

These statistics show that the University of Akron remains a smart choice for post-secondary education. Nevertheless, even added the slightest added expenses can be overwhelming.

In order to avoid enslavements to student loan debt, the inflated cost of tuition must be addressed not only by the universities, but by the government. For publicly funded institutions especially, there is only one solution: more state funding.