As college application are underway and application deadlines approach, every Arrowhead senior has one question in mind: how much will it cost?

According to collegeboard.org, the average in state tuition for public schools is $32,762, whereas the average out of state public school tuition is $22,958. Private colleges average $42,419.

According to Bloomberg News, tuition has risen more than 1,200% since 1978.

Last year, 68.4% of high school students across America enrolled in a college or university, according to bls.gov. That means if the statistics remain consistent at AHS, about 70% of the current seniors are dealing with the pressures of paying for college.

Because of the soaring prices, there is a rise in the number of kids graduating in debt. It is up to 70% nationally, according to ticas.org. They say this rate has never been higher.

Mia Rocco, a senior at Arrowhead, said, “I’m worried that after I graduate, I will have to spend all the money I start to make on my student loans.”

Globalpost.com reported that colleges are expecting lower enrollment this next school year due to rising tuition costs. According to observer.com, student debts are over $1 trillion and counting in America.

Current Arrowhead senior, Leah Stapleton, said, “The cost of a college is definitely a main factor I look at when I am debating applying somewhere. Some schools are so expensive that it is not worth applying to.”

Arrowhead students often apply to schools in Wisconsin.

The in-state cost of a year at UW-Lacrosse is about $15,812.

The current total for one year at UW Madison, for a resident if the state, comes to $24,000.

The in-state tuition for a year at UM Twin Cities, which Wisconsin residents receive, is $25,784.

The average cost for a year at Marquette University, a private college in Milwaukee, comes to $47,940.

NYU, a private college in New York City, is one of the most expensive colleges in America, with an average cost of $59,837.

More kids may opt out of college and go straight into the workplace because, according to a 2002 study by the State Public Interest Research Group’s Higher Education Project, working full-time can harm grades.

The Los Angeles Times reports that tuition hikes can contribute to increased dropout rates. This means that students are dropping out even when they desire to finish, because they can’t pay tuition rates.

Sarah Smith, an Arrowhead student, said, “The bigger dropout rates are scary. The fact that I am capable academically, but maybe not financially, of finishing school makes me nervous.”