Texas is kicking higher education butt by offering college degrees—start to finish—for $10,000. Awesome. That is opportunity! But, here’s my idea: Utah should see the Lone Star State’s bet and raise it one. Or, rather, lower it one.
My challenge to myself, my legislative colleagues, our visionaries in the Utah higher education system and our friends in public education is to develop college degrees for less than $10,000. Much less. And, while we’re at it, let’s see if we might even raise the quality of the educational experience.
Can the Legislature figure this out? Probably not. We don’t have the expertise. But, rather than a top-down mandate, we can work with each institution to (1) see if they’re interested in the challenge and, if so, (2) get them the tools they’ll need to get it done.
Here, for example, is how Dixie State College could establish a $5,500 college degree—start to finish:
Many Utah high school students get college credit through concurrent enrollment classes. DSC could pick aligned associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees and work with school districts, to perfectly match (1) the associate degree and bachelor’s degree requirements with (2) high school graduation requirements, so that no class is wasted. In other words, each concurrent enrollment class will count toward (1) high school graduation, (2) the associate degree, and (3) the bachelor’s degree. (You’d be surprised to learn how many concurrent enrollment classes don’t end up tracking toward any college degree).
A high school student in this program would graduate high school with both a high school degree and DSC associate degree. That would magically qualify the student for the New Century Scholarship ($1,250/semester). (This already happens; my Zella just did it). Then, the student—by simply aligning our courses better—would have just 2 years of college work remaining to get the bachelor’s degree (at DSC’s tuition rate of $4,000/year). So, here’s the math for the cost of moving forward to the bachelor’s degree:
(2 years x $4,000) – (4 semesters x $1,250) = $3,000 for a DSC bachelor’s degree! (That’s TOTAL, not per year or per semester). Did you see the magic there? We didn’t really create anything new. We simply took the extra step of aligning what we’re already doing. As I’ve said many times before, Utah has many of the basics solidly in place. We are ready to launch. (And I’m quite excited that, with Dave Buhler at the helm of the system now as Commissioner, and with the fabulous Presidents we have at each institution, we will launch).
Why would DSC want to do this? Well, it would get some of the most-motivated and best-prepared students in the state. The $3000 students would have tremendous focus. They would be far more likely to graduate than the typical college student (because time and money are the enemies of college graduation, and these students will cut those monsters in half before they set foot on campus). And, despite the huge financial savings to the students, DSC would receive all the money it would receive for any other student ($4,000/year). In short, the program would make DSC shine. And, most importantly, the program would open the doors of higher education wide to many, many families.
The improved quality of the degree could come from using TICE courses for many of the concurrent enrollment courses. Currently, educational outcomes and competencies vary significantly in college courses. Some times, college students achieve the foundational standards in general education courses. And sometimes they don’t. Through measurable standards, TICE courses better assure that general education courses are preparing a student for future success in upper-level courses.
Pretty neat, huh?
Edit: Originally, the post was titled “How About a College Degree for $5000?” I used an incorrect number (too low) for the New Century Scholarship. Using the correct number, the prospect of affordable college education for our citizens is even more amazing. Again, pretty neat, huh?
Great idea Steve. With student loans growing to epidemic proportions it’s great to see you leading the way with this type of innovative thinking. Recently I have counseled bankruptcy clients with hundreds of thousands in student loan debt. I have really no decent bankruptcy solution for them. Some people I have advised have fled the country. Like, you I am telling my kids to use concurrent enrollment and avoid student loans like the plague.
Thanks Christian. Though it’s an issue for another day (and another level of government), part of the problem with higher ed is that student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. If they could be, lenders would be more responsible, risk would be factored in, and the “free money” problem that has led to the higher education bubble would resolve itself to some degree.
I think it’s a great idea! If they include many of the concepts used for Western Governor’s University for general education courses then bulk it up with more traditional professor-led major courses, you could get the best of both worlds. My spouse attends WGU and we’ve really appreciated the fact that it’s structured around online learning. Still, at times when he’s doing the more detailed or difficult courses it would be nice to have a professor that’s live and in the flesh. I think a hybrid between online learning and on campus-based classes would bring down costs, increase quality and improve flexibility (less time has to be spent on campus or living at the college). Great idea! Good luck!
You can sell a college degree for less than $10,000, but I’m not sure you can sell a college education. A degree and an education are sometimes totally different things, and I fear that’s the direction this is heading.
The difference: A college education requires close interaction with quality professors. You can do intro courses online or in big lecture halls, but the upper division classes really demand good faculty (not adjuncts) teaching small courses.
You didn’t say in your post that you would move away from this model (with good student-faculty interaction), but I worry that it’s an implicit part of the proposal.
Adam,
Your concerns might be based on the plan’s heavy reliance on concurrent enrollment (for the high school years). Concurrent enrollment classes do have good student-faculty interaction. After that, in the 2 remaining college years, my plan doesn’t change anything how the classes would be provided. While I have opinions, that decision should be left to the individual institutions where all the expertise resides.
” (You’d be surprised to learn how many concurrent enrollment classes don’t end up tracking toward any college degree).”
This statement concerns me because my daughter will start these classes next year. How do I avoid the trap of planning they track if they don’t when I’ve been told by the counselor they do?
Thanks,
Karrie Thorne
Steve,
When I read this post and others you have written I just want to shout a big AMEN!
I am an educated mother of 3 children. I want the best for my children and have stressed the importance of education from the time they were very small. My oldest child just started 9th grade. I was aware of concurrent enrollment options for high school students. I wanted to make sure he was taking the correct classes from the very beginning to be able to utilize and take advantage of them as much as possible. His local high school counselor seems unaware and resistant to help in this regard and I have been trying to research it all on my own. Everything you wrote makes so much sense. How refreshing common sense is!
Part of this great plan needs to include educating the school counselors about changes and opportunities. They are the front lines in presenting these opportunities to the children.
I love what you are proposing and working towards.
Thank you!
Karrie and ShaRee,
Exactly my point!!! You are concerned, involved and smart, but you don’t know whether the concurrent enrollment courses your child is taking will count toward the bachelor’s degree your child will pursue.
We had a committee meeting Thursday, and we spent a chunk of time talking about this very issue. It seems that we won’t have to change too much to make this Most-Affordable Pathway (MAP) to a degree possible. We just need increased coordination between our colleges and our high schools/parents. We’ll do it. So, help is on the way. In the meantime, I think ShaRee’s approach is best: do your research w the high school counselor and the college.
While I think that it is a great opportunity for some students. I graduated from Hurricane High in 2009 and I had the opportunity to apply for the then called success academy through DSC. For me there were a few drawbacks the first one was the focus on science based educations. Maybe it has changed, but it was only science based associates originally. The second is it takes out a lot of the high school experience. While it saves money kids are not in a high school class room for most of the day. So my main question is are all the degrees at DSC going to be available? And would the high school students end up not really attending high school by their senior year?
This is a wonderfully practical segue for students to ensure cost savings, gain a practical platform from which to launch into graduate and post-graduate degrees, and ensure more than a modicum of continuity to provide students completing college.
Bravo!