Plenty of controversy exists over the rising cost of college, but the estimations used in these arguments usually only take into account the cost of tuition and books. This leaves out some costs, like quasi-optional graduation expenses.
Walking in graduation isn’t required to actually graduate, but it is expected, so much so that most students consider walking mandatory. But these costs can create a significant financial burden on the students. Is walking really worth the cost, or should there be less pressure to participate?
For those who can afford it, graduation is a momentous occasion, one that can bring a family together to celebrate the hard work that the student put into school.
For families who can’t easily afford the additional costs, however, it’s not easy to quietly duck out of the hoopla that surrounds graduation. Some costs can be relatively easy to cut, like buying fancy flowers for the ceremony. But opting out entirely, or perhaps not flying out the family (which comes with the cost of a hotel for at least a night) due to finances is a difficult choice that some people find trouble making. But with many students already struggling to pay living expenses on top of college, that choice may be one that more students have to make.
And to those students who struggle to pay the most basic costs of college – tuition, books and living costs – the idea of having to pay fees for graduation is ridiculous. There are enough add-on fees over the course of a student’s time at college, which also have been hiked recently.
Decreasing the emphasis on the ceremony would go a long ways toward easing the pressure to walk, regardless of the financial difficulty it poses. However, it can be difficult to break down the expectations surrounding graduation. This transition would probably be difficult to implement, but shedding the stigma of not walking would a go long way toward supporting students’ financial situations and comfort.
Thank you for writing this! I have struggled the entire time to pay to be at UCLA even with financial assistance (I even took extra classes in each quarter in order to graduate early and avoid more debt) and subsequently will not be able to attend my graduation ceremony this June because of a lack of funds to do so. I am first in my family to graduate from college and yet the costs of the cap, gown, portraits, sash, chords, travel expenses for my family, and so on has left me with the option of either graduating without my family present or skipping it altogether. I know the ceremony is not the important part of the actual education I’ve received and I’m not sure university should make the associated costs free, but I was feeling a bit unheard and this article helped me feel like someone out there understands! So thanks again.