Higher education costs have come front and center to the debate stage after the 2016 elections, and rightfully so. It is a crisis that has quietly plagued New Hampshire and the rest of the nation for decades.
On April 11, the N.H. House of Representatives passed their version of the state budget for FY 2020 and 2021. Unlike Gov. Chris Sununuโs proposal, the House plan actually gives me some hope. For the first time since 2015 this budget puts forward an increase in operational funding for New Hampshireโs higher education institutions.
UNH lists its base tuition and room and board at just over $30,000 per school year. Assuming tuition doesnโt increase, which it has, annually, for the past 25 years, that would come out to $120,000 at the end of a four-year degree.
Given this example, even if a graduate is fortunate enough to find a position in their field, the burden of an additional $900 to $1,200 per month in payments can be debilitating. And this weight will carry on for generations: These kinds of payments mean that we are unable to save for our own childrenโs schooling.
According to a Forbes article, the total student debt for American citizens is $1.5 trillion. N.H. graduates carry a $6.8 billion load as of the third quarter of 2018. That the N.H. House has put forward a budget that takes steps to lessen this burden of debt on current and future students is the first of many right steps toward solving this economic crisis.
JESSICA WHEELER RUSSELL
Concord