The issue of college affordability is personal for Amy Abuqawod.
Abuqawod, a 21-year-old UF criminology senior and member of UF Students for Bernie, works two jobs to help pay for school. She was awarded the Pell Grant, which is given to certain college students depending on their financial needs.
But she said her student loans still accumulate interest each day.
“The price for one class is just so outrageous,” Abuqawod said. “When I’m looking for a presidential candidate, I want someone who is willing to cancel student loans because I think it is not a legitimate form of debt.”
UF reported in its 2017-2018 fact book that its undergraduate students owed $21,713 on average. This figure is about $10,000 less than the national average of $32,731, according to Forbes. But despite the cut, students are still concerned about debt and tuition costs — and it’s affecting how they cast their ballots this election season.
2020 presidential candidates on college affordability
Each presidential candidate has different plans for college affordability.
Bernie Sanders’ plan is to eliminate all student loans and make public college tuition-free. Sanders’ plan also includes increasing Pell Grants to aid with non-tuition costs and tripling funding for work-study programs, according to his website.
Joe Biden plans to make two-year community colleges free. He also wants to double the maximum value for Pell Grants to help low-income and middle-class families.
Tulsi Gabbard plans to support legislation such as the College for All Act, which eliminates tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities for families who make less than $125,000 a year. It also makes community college tuition-free for everyone.
However, President Donald Trump has a very different stance on affording college.
He proposed cutting funding from the Department of Education — including $2 billion from the Pell Grant services, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrations.
Bill Weld, who is running for the Republican candidacy, emphasized that online education will remove significant costs, according to the financial aid administration association.
Tuition and Loans at UF
Among UF, Florida State University and University of Central Florida, UF has the most expensive in- and out-of-state tuition, according to the universities’ websites.
In-state tuition at UF is $6,380 per year, while FSU’s is $5,656 and UCF’s is $6,368.
Eighty-five percent of UF students receive financial aid, and 64 percent of undergraduate students graduated without debt in the 2017-2018 school year, according to UF Student Financial Affairs.
But for those with debt, the process of paying it off is a struggle, according to credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service. Most students pay off only 3 percent of their debt a year, it reported.
Hannah Matthew, a 21-year-old UF computer science senior with conservative values, said she doesn’t believe that college should be free and believes Biden is the stronger Democratic candidate. But she proposes that the government create more scholarships and grants.
However, not everyone should be pressured to go to college, she argued.
“Instead of pushing everyone from high school, there should be more talk about real careers and job paths that they can take outside of college,” she said.
Stephany Matat contributed to this report
Contact Payton Titus at ptitus@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @petitus25.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Payton is a sophomore journalism major from Jacksonville, Florida. She is The Alligator's Spring 2021 digital managing editor. Her previous roles include softball beat writer, football beat writer and online sports editor.
