Issue Position: Higher Education

Issue Position

Higher Education

Most 21st century jobs are going to require a college degree, but with tuition costs on the rise, we need to expand access to higher education by making it more affordable. We can't rest until higher education is within reach for all students who want to go to college -- regardless of their position on the economic ladder -- but can't afford to take on a mountain of debt.

A college degree has become a necessary, though not always sufficient passport to the middle class.

America is falling behind the rest of the world in the percentage of our population with a college diploma. Currently, America ranks 16th in the percentage of 25-34-year-olds with post-secondary degrees, but in 1995, we ranked 2nd.

Today, a child in poverty in this country stands a roughly one in ten chance of graduating from college. But the jobs being created in our economy overwhelmingly require some post-secondary education. Between 1992 and 2002, we created 6 million new jobs that require a college degree and lost about half a million jobs that require less than a high school diploma. Between now and 2016, 22 of the 30 fastest growing occupations will require a college degree. But at the same time, college tuition is increasing each year.

Our country cannot expect to compete in the global economy unless we provide every student the opportunity to obtain a college degree. We need to ensure that every child has access to a world class education and does not accumulate astronomical debt in the process.

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