Lightening The Load: How Oakland University Is Making College More Affordable

Evan Fisher

College is painfully expensive. Based on Oakland University’s cost of attendance spreadsheet for 2022-2023, the total cost is over $60,000 for four years without including books or housing.

 According to usnews.com, their report shows that the average cost of tuition alone is over $39,000 for four years.

Colleges offer ways to help out with the cost of tuition and books through scholarships, but the process for applying for them can be challenging. 

The potential impact of student loan forgiveness

Arianna Heyman

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Student Loan Debt has become a crisis in the United States of America. Currently, the cumulative federal student loan debt is at $1.6 Trillion for the 45 million borrowers across the country. 

As Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan is being contested in the Supreme Court (SCOTUS), students across the country are waiting on bated breath for a decision. 

According to Nicole Belk, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at Oakland University (OU), nearly half of the student populus has student loans from the federal government. 

College Tuition Costs Make Attendance Challenging

Evan Fisher

Faisal Nucho, pictured left, is enjoying a gorgeous day at Rochester Park. He spends a lot of his free time there when he’s not buried in homework.

Faisal Nucho, 21, is currently in his third year at Macomb Community College. Nucho, along with his two siblings, are first-generation college students. Nucho wants to attend Oakland University, but there have been several roadblocks that have prevented him from attending so far.  

Attending a university is expensive. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of attendance for a private university is $25,707 per year for in-state students.

Student Financial Services remark on Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan

Arianna Heyman

On February 28, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), began hearing oral arguments regarding President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan. 

The plan, which would relieve qualifying college students thousands in student loan debt has been a hotly contested issue. 

After the plan was implemented,  the Biden administration received multiple lawsuits from republican led states and loan service providers such as Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA).