The return on investment for higher education is proven, yet students and families remain risk averse in making that investment.

Chicago Tribune reports.

Guest opinion: Campaign season highlights costs of college

It’s an election year, and lots of politicians are making promises. This cycle, we hear about “free” college for everyone. While it remains to be seen whether our state and our nation has the will or the resources to fulfill such an ambitious promise, this positive reception of this promise underscores an important issue facing students and parents in Indiana and across our nation — the affordability of a college education.

Each year, high school graduates, their families, and an increasing number of non-traditional students face the difficult choice whether to pursue an education beyond high school. This decision is especially challenging for students and families anxious at the thought of carrying financial debt.

Students and families take into consideration their stagnant incomes, limited savings, and rising tuition costs balanced against the continually changing and increasingly globalized economy, rapidly changing industry demands, domestic job security, and the significant earnings gap between those who hold a high school diploma and the significantly higher wages earned by those with the college degree. The return on investment for higher education is proven, yet students and families remain risk averse in making that investment given the post-recession struggles that continue for some and the economic uncertainty of our times.