Essay --

This paper will address recent trajectories of college instruction, fees, and financial aid in beau monde to assess the extent to which fiscal assistance has kept footstep with increases in tuition. Agenda setting constructs will then be use to contexualize this relationship, as well as student loan debt in general, and to delineate applications of this issue to macro level social work practice. Trends in Tuition, Fees, and financial AidAmong public four-year institutions, the average cost of tuition and fees has increased by 2.9 percent for the 2013-2014 academic year, rising to $8,893 for in-state students. This trend was mirrored among out-of-state public four-year institutions as well tuition and fees increased by 3.1 percent from $12,887 to $13,310. With regard to toffee-nosed four-year universities, the average cost of tuition and fees increased by 3.8 percent, a unlikeness of $1,105. Although it appears as though the momentum of tuition increases has continued, it is im portant to note that the rebellion of published costs mingled with the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years is the lowest residue in increase over the past 30 years. That is, tuition and fees are continuing to increase with each academic year, however the percentage by which they do so is actually decreasing (Baum & Ma, 2013). When assessing college affordability, it is important to not moreover understand trends in tuition costs, but it is also necessary to signalize between the published costs of schools and the net prices that full-time students actually even off throughout their enrollment. Tuition and fees might vary according to reciprocity agreements between adjacent states, duration of enrollment, and student aid disbursements these are all factors which could touch th... ...tarian education policies that make college more affordable and accessible in order to promote a competitive labor market and cultivate a proficient workforce. ConclusionAlthough the inflation of tuition and fees among post secondary institutions has begun to subside, the flight of steps of federal financial aid and grant assistance has become more and more unable to compensate for this trend. Increases in tuition and, subsequently, student loan debt tin can be attributed to agenda setting initiatives that supplement revenue losses, but at the same time marginalize many students and increase the inaccessibility of higher education. In effect, the byproducts of tuition increases underscore the importance of macro-level social work practice and its ability to critically reframe fiscal education policies that best promote the economic welfare of students and their communities.