College is expensive. This is a no-brainer. Luckily, most of us aspiring academics will receive help paying for the opportunity to obtain a higher education. Tuition is constantly on the rise, and it won’t be long before the numbers reach $30,000.

Students currently enrolled at Simpson have their financial aid increase the same percentage tuition increases each year, but the incoming freshmen class will not be as fortunate after their first year at school.

The fact that financial aid increased with tuition set Simpson College apart from its competition and other private, liberal arts colleges in the state. Without this increase and a yearly cost similar to other schools, what will be Simpson’s big selling point for prospective students looking for a financial break?

There are a select few students who can attend college without any kind of financial aid, but for the rest of us, attending a private college without the monetary help wouldn’t be an option.

Though the college says tuition won’t increase as much now that financial aid won’t increase, the costs of attending Simpson will still go up. Tuition will increase every year, whether it’s 6 percent or 4 percent, and these numbers make a big difference to those who are paying for college on their own.