Can we talk about how expensive graduation is for a second?
Because I feel like no one really warns you about this part. Yes, we all know college is expensive, what with tuition, fees, textbooks, parking, literally everything.
But why is there still another cost at the very end? It’s like you finally make it to the finish line and they’re like, “Congrats … one more payment.”
And it’s not even for something practical or long-term. It’s for a cap and gown. An outfit. That you wear one time. For a few hours. And then what? It just sits in your closet forever (or you can use it as a Halloween costume?).
That’s the part that gets me. If I were paying for something I’d use again, fine. But this? It’s just for the ceremony, which is approximately two hours long. And it’s not like you can really avoid it either. If you want to walk, you need a cap and gown, so it’s basically a required expense.
And then on top of that, there are all the extra accessories.
Stoles, cords, and anything that represents what you’ve done during college all cost more. And those things actually matter; they’re not just random accessories.
They represent your accomplishments, your involvement, and parts of your identity. So it’s frustrating that even those meaningful things come with an added price tag. Can I also add that some of the honor societies on campus don’t include the cost of the cords in their initial dues?
It kind of turns something that should feel exciting into something you have to think about financially – is it worth draining the bank to showcase your academic prowess?
Most college students are already trying to save money, figure out post-grad plans, maybe even stressing about jobs, and now we have to factor this in, too? It just feels like bad timing.
I get it, graduation costs something to put together and it isn’t something that is free. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. But from a student perspective, it just feels like one more thing added to the list of expenses we’ve already been dealing with for years.
Plus, it’s really that hard to just rent out the gowns and then pay a fee to get them cleaned. I mean, personally, I will never use that gown after graduating. Sure, you can donate your gown afterward, but that still does not change the fact that you had to pay for it in the first place.
Graduation is a big moment. It’s something you’ve been working toward the entire time you’ve been in school. You want to be there, you want to walk across the stage, and you want to actually enjoy it without thinking about how much everything costs.
But instead, it kind of feels like you’re paying to participate in your own milestone.
I think that’s what makes it frustrating. Graduation is supposed to be a celebration. It’s supposed to be a moment where you can look back on everything you’ve done and feel proud of yourself. Not a moment where you’re thinking, “Why did this cost so much?”
It is not just the cap and gown, either. For one last hurrah, it feels like senior events are also squeezing money out of students.
Things like the 100 Days celebration and the Gala are suddenly another expense added to senior year, even though events like that used to be free in the past. At some point, it starts to feel less like celebrating seniors and more like seeing how much money can still be pulled from them before they leave.
At the same time, there are people who are still going to show up. No one is going to skip graduation over this. We all worked way too hard not to be there;it is an important moment.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t also be a little annoying.
We made it through college. We did the work. We showed up. We pushed through everything.
The least they could do is not make the final step feel like another expense.
Anyway … shoutout to everyone graduating. We made it!
Even if it comes with one last cost at the very end.
