Student News

American University students Occupy Wall Street

It's not just students in the UK that are having to struggle with reforms in the education system. If you have been watching the news recently then you may have seen American students protesting as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Students in America have been complaining of huge student fees (can be around £40,000 a year) and low employment prospects. There used to be a time where American students were snapped up by businesses in their droves but there has been a sharp decline in this due to market conditions.

Students set up Twitter and Facebook groups to meet up and campaign against the sharp rise in tuition fees (very similar to those seen in the UK). The American students' situation mirrors UK students in that the job market is thinning as well as wages seeing a decrease at the same point of rises in inflation.

However, some students have pointed towards the wage gap experienced between graduates and non graduates in America. Many of them will end up earning more than those who didn't attend university but it will just take longer for it to make a difference with some experts claiming that it is not until 40 years old that some American graduates will see the benefit of their degree in their career.

Overall, students in America do not want to become part of “the 99%” who are seen as the lost ones in the American economy. Many graduates would expect to be in the top 1% of earners but feel segregated due to high fees and low job prospects.

The American students also feel that not only protesting against the universities will help. They have also taken their fight to the main institutions on America's stock market.

There are similarities between America and the UK which show that the University fees rise in the UK may be part of the wider global market which is not only affecting students in this country.

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