CSUSB's Outrageous Payment Plan

          Hello my fellow readers today I would like to talk about the so called, "payment plan" CSUSB offers and how horrible it is. Also how it could be improved. Cal State's payment plan is as follows, you have to pay a third of your tuition, and then you have a whole month to pay the rest. Wow! What a thoughtful, and considerate offer. Not really. I do think that a payment plan option is a good idea. Many students rather pay with their own money opposed to using student loans. Other students don't have a choice, but to use their own hard earned cash, due to not qualifying for financial aid or loans. Their only option would be to pay in full or to utilize the payment plan. My problem with it is the short window they offer students to pay. ONE MONTH! How preposterous! Maybe that length of time was reasonable ten years ago, but with the sky rocketing tuition, the time allotted needs to be extended. Ten years ago, tuition cost less than $1200 a quarter. I definitely think paying $400 initially then having a month to pay the rest was a fitting plan for the way things were, but with the major financial changes, our school payment plan should have changed too. It's no wonder we have so many students dropping out of college. Check out this article written in 2008 describing the climbing drop out rate for college students then, High Tuition Costs Force Students to Dropout. Here is another article written by a student, telling of the last resort of dropping out that more and more students are having to take, High College Tuition Increasing Dropout Rate. I understand that universities are being ran, now more than ever, like businesses rather than institutions who pride their selves on making higher education reachable for most. Because of that, we can expect things to be done based off the premise, are we making money and not based off of how understanding are we being to the students struggling to pay tuition.
          I have a friend who did not want to receive student loans and couldn't receive grants, so she decided to pay cash for her tuition. I remember her every quarter,stressing out to make her payment in such a short time. She told me once, " They want me to pay it in a month, but I don't even make enough in a month to pay them in a month." Obviously there was and still is a glitch in this "payment plan". Sadly  to say, my friend dropped out due to tuition and her lack of money.
          If I had it my way, the payment plan would go as follows: students will be expected to pay a third of tuition a week before that quarter begins and then they will receive the rest of the quarter to pay off their balance. If the student does not comply by the deadline, then a hold will be placed on their account until payment is made. To me that is more reasonable for the state our school's economy.