I have an older sister who is graduating from college this year with about $11,000 in student loans, and she is one of the lucky ones. With the average debt after college at $19,000 and many undergraduate students leaving college with debts exceeding $40,000, it’s pretty intimidating to prepare for college and try to find a way to pay. So, is the government helping students enough or do they need to do more?

Most students pay around $80,000 for four years of college. If you work, get help from your family, financial aid, scholarships, and budget your money, you might be able to come out of school with minimum debts, but most students aren’t that lucky. This is a big reason why 40% of students in college attend community colleges, to save money. According to information from www.barackobama.com two million academically qualified students will not go to college between 2001 and 2010 because they cannot afford it. This means that millions of people who could make a huge difference in our society aren’t able to go to college. Is this stopping our society from reaching its full potential?

It’s hard to believe that students are having so much trouble paying for college when you look at all that our government is doing to help them financially. The government provided students with about $117 billion in financial aid in 2008-2009. The catch - you need to work hard for your money. They look at your high school grades and standardized test scores to see if you have earned it. In addition, they look at your expected family contribution to determine how much aid you receive. Relief is on the way. Our president is working to make college more affordable for everyone. He is working on simplifying the financial aid application (FAFSA.) Another project he is working on is the American Opportunity Tax Credit. This would make the first $4,000 of education free for most students.

Even with the government working hard to make college more affordable, it’s still really hard on families, especially ones with more then one college-aged kid. Middle class families who have been hit hard by the failing economy are suffering. With rising tuition costs and a failing economy, I think that the government needs to help students more and focus a little more on education, because a strong education is key to the future of our country.