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At a time when students and parents are questioning the costs and benefits of a college degree, it’s worth remembering two things: that a good education is priceless, and some colleges, like Brooklyn, remain absolute bargains. These facts are of particular importance right now as high school students are applying to college.
It’s easy to see why many people think the promise of higher education is broken. Every year, wealthy parents enhance their children’s chances of being admitted to the most exclusive institutions by hiring admissions consultants, essay-writing coaches, and SAT prep tutors. Well-informed and well-off parents thereby try to game the college admissions system.
At the same time, there is great concern about the high cost of college today. Tuition has skyrocketed over the last two decades, growing at twice the speed of inflation. If a student lives on campus, the average total cost for four years of attendance for a bachelor’s degree is about $100,000 at public colleges and $225,000 at private colleges. The rich need not worry, of course, but others are left wondering whether college is worth the investment as they ponder the debt it creates.
This is not the case, however, at Brooklyn College, one of 25 campuses at the City University of New York (CUNY). High school students enrolling here are often the first in their families to attend college. They and their parents are not looking to game the system—they are looking for opportunities to move ahead in life, and they know that Brooklyn College is the place to achieve those dreams.
Instead of sinking students into debt, Brooklyn College lifts them out of poverty. Tuition at the college is less than $7,000 a year. Because of state tuition assistance across the University system, about 65% of all CUNY students graduate with no debt. A comprehensive 2017 study showed that CUNY propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all eight Ivy League colleges plus Stanford, Duke, M.I.T., and the University of Chicago combined.
What’s more, CUNY offers students world-class educational opportunities. At Brooklyn College, the faculty has included Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur “geniuses,” Grammy, Tony, and Oscar-winners, and scholars working across critical fields; developing new ovarian cancer therapies; using muonic x-rays to identify the composition and value of Rome’s earliest coins; designing adaptive computer software for those with disabilities; and building new tools to predict and prevent urban flooding.
As a result, Forbes and others routinely rank Brooklyn among colleges that are the “Best Bang for Your Buck.” Each dollar a student invests in a Brooklyn College education reaps $7.30 in cumulative value for them, a 21.7% annual rate of return. This value adds up. On average, a Brooklyn College undergraduate degree brings an alum $41,200 more in annual earnings, or $1.7 million over a lifetime.
Brooklyn College is not just a good investment for our students. It’s a good investment for our State. Each dollar taxpayers invest in Brooklyn College, for example, brings $3.70 of cumulative value to the economy. Every year, the College needs funding for its mandatory cost increases, labor contracts, and critical capital projects for facilities in which such vital mentoring, teaching, and learning occurs. It’s what our students deserve, and our economy needs.
The New York State motto is “Excelsior,” which means “ever upward.” It’s an accurate description of what Brooklyn College offers its students, and a motto that mirrors the vibrant promise of academic excellence and economic access.
Michelle J. Anderson is the President of Brooklyn College.
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Michelle J. Anderson , 2024-04-05 18:03:03
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