A comparison showing how much harder it is to pay for college now
In an essay on the Occupy Wall Street movement, Minnesota state Senator John Marty (DFL-Roseville) writes about the cost of college today vs. the cost in 1968:
Hamline University professor David Davies provides an illustration of how much harder it is to get by today: Davies pointed out that in 1968, a University of Minnesota student working 6.2 hours per week during the school year, at the minimum wage, would earn enough to pay the annual tuition and fees of $385. Davies wrote, "That was back when education was considered a public good and not a private investment... back when education was for the 99%."
In effect, in 1968 a full time student working part time, even at the minimum wage, living frugally, could work her way through the U of M. Today, that's virtually impossible. A comparable U of M student would need to work more than 46 hours per week - more than full time - during the school year to earn the $13,060 in tuition and fees, and still have nothing for books or room or board or other necessities, and obviously little time for attending classes or studying.
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