Higher Education Reform
For decades, politicians have promised to reform higher education and have continually failed to deliver. Due to this inaction, Americans today are faced with the highest college tuition rates and highest levels of student debt in history. While politicians continually promise, I continuously listen to constituents, innovate, and deliver. Higher education reform is long overdue, and I have a plan to deliver on it through the innovative Degree-in-Three Reform plan.
Under Degree-in-Three Reform, the bachelor’s degree will be standardized around a curriculum plan that allows students to graduate in three years. Without raising a single dollar in taxes, this reform will immediately lower college tuition costs by 25%, lower student loan debt and interest accrual, and get students earning salaries in the workforce one year earlier. By shifting the college degree structure from four years to three years, students stand to gain over $130,000 in just one year. Take an example of Sally, a Garden City High School graduate, who decides to attend Adelphi University. At around $60,000 per year, Sally will be paying over $240,000 for his four-year degree, plus interest. Under Degree-in-Three Reform, Sally will only be paying $180,000 for the same degree, plus interest--that is $60,000 less. Not only will Sally save $60,000 by foregoing the fourth year, but she will also be able to gain employment and earn a salary during that year. Based on the average base salary of Adelphi’s graduating class, Sally could earn about $72,000 in the workforce. Combining the savings and earning potential under Degree-in-Three Reform, Sally will be over $132,000 better off when compared to the current higher education system. This outcome is easily viewable in the chart below.
*cost of attendance and earnings based on Adelphi University website data: https://www.adelphi.edu/admissions/aid/tuition/estimated-cost-of-attendance/ and https://www.adelphi.edu/news/successful-outcomes-career-survey-shows-95-percent-of-class-of-2018-employed-or-furthering-their-education-within-six-months-of-graduating/#:~:text=93%20percent%20of%20those%20who,graduate%20student%20salary%20of%20%2465%2C725.
At the heart of Degree-in-Three Reform are freedom, innovation, and equal opportunity. Degree-in-Three will make college more accessible to all and relieve students of insurmountable debt, allowing them to purchase homes, attain advanced education degrees, and freely plan their futures. Implementation of Degree-in-Three Reform will come through free market forces of competition and funding incentivizes from the federal government. This reform urges colleges to re-evaluate their curricula to ensure classroom pedagogy lines up with the ever-changing demands of the modern workplace and society. It also forces colleges to remove redundant class requirements that students already took in high school and eliminate superfluous electives. Under Degree-in-Three Reform, colleges will have the freedom to develop their curricula, further advancing innovation and competition.
While Degree-in-Three reform standardizes the bachelor’s degree around a three-year model for all students, the option to take four years to complete a bachelor’s degree will still be available for students with personal circumstances giving rise to such necessity.
For more information on Degree-in-Three Reform, contact me at 516-308-1703 or teamdtuman@gmail.com.