College Costs: As average student loans are at $37,000 more students look to study abroad

There are a lot of mixed feelings and rumors that float around about college and higher education. Some individuals see college as something that is a necessity, something that they have to do to get a job that they want. Other people see it as a time to figure out who they are and what they want to do. Regardless of how someone decides to view college, there is one thing that pretty much everyone can agree on; there's going to be a lot of debt.

Yale University reports that the average American college student has $37,000 in student loans. It would seem that lawmakers and citizens believe that going to college is important, based on how much encouragement high school students are given to attend. College is presented as something that is going to be well worth the cost; that is the overall message, college is expensive but it's worth it costs if it means you will have a successful career. There is no doubt that having a college degree is helpful, if not necessary in today's society.

Why do some high school graduates not attend college?

According to the Huffington Post, 12 percent of high school graduates do not attend college.

There were a variety of reasons for not attending, such as the student already had a good paying job, they needed to support a family, their profession didn't require any more education, along with other reasons. However, the reason that was cited the most was financial, the student could not afford college.

What are other countries charging for college?

Throughout the world, there are countries that offer free tuition, or reduced tuition to its students. Now in some cases, that doesn't mean that college is entirely free, and students may be required to study in the local language to get the free or reduced tuition. There could be a cost for books and housing facilities. Most students in these countries end up with significantly less debt than American students.

Because of the prices of tuition, studying abroad has become attractive to more and more students. The Huffington Post reports that around 10 percent of students choose to study abroad, with that number rising four percent in a year.

One factor that might keep a student from studying abroad is that the student may not speak the language of the country that they want to Travel to. Some countries offer bachelor degrees and programs that are entirely in English. One notable example is France. According to the Washington Post, France has 76 undergraduate programs that are available entirely in English. Some of these programs are offered by private schools and are more expensive. Public institutions in France only charge about $200 for most of their programs.

Will the number of American students studying abroad increase?

With tuition prices on the rise and fees adding up, college students are looking for an alternative way to get an education without being in too much debt. With more countries offering lower tuition, and programs in English, it seems likely that the number of American students studying abroad will increase.