Tuition costs have risen 710% since 1983 (1200% since 1980). Inflation: 194%

Re:Tuition costs have risen 710% since 1983 (1200% since 198... by nightski on Monday July 10, 2023 @03:11PM (#36671450)

That's not really true imho. If we are going to be pedantic and talk about the pandemic, almost all taxpayers received individual stimulus checks in the thousands. On top of that those with children received a lot more. The vast majority of PPP loans went to small business and it was to make up for the government shutting down parts of the economy (it wasn't simply an economic downturn). I don't agree with how hastily and sloppy it was administered, you'd think we would have plans in place beforehand. But hey it's the government.

As far as interest rates, I had six figures of student loans and they were at 2.88%. Rates today are higher, but that's because they very loosely follow the federal funds rate. This is no different for business loans. But loosely speaking, interest rates on federal student loans are pretty low compared to other types of loans.

In fact, the reason the stock market reacts so badly to interest rate increases is precisely because it increases the cost of borrowing for business.

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Re:Tuition costs have risen 710% since 1983 (1200% since 198... by pixelatedindex on Monday July 10, 2023 @04:21PM (#36672398)

I would kill for such a low interest rate. I graduated soon after the financial crisis and the cheapest loan I had was 4.88%, with the average being 6%, and some were even 8%. I can (could have?) finance a car for cheaper, which is a bit ridiculous to me. Personally, there should be a cap or a set interest rate for education loans but I understand that it’s a contentious statement.

Yeah there were stimulus checks, and I saw a lot of people say something like “wow look at all these handouts people are getting, they don’t deserve it all!” but then they turn around and say the PPP was the greatest thing ever and businesses deserved them.

I think we are too critical of individual choices nowadays, but not critical enough of the terrible choices that businesses make. That’s probably the gist of my discontent.

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