For $20,000 I got a Master’s Degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1984-85 in nine months. It included all fees, room and board, books, personal supplies, transportation and 2 round trip airline tickets from Houston (where I was born) to Columbia in New York City. Now, one year at Columbia costs $82,888.Today, the average yearly cost to attend a Texas public university is $25,650. So a 4-year degree costs $100,000 dollars while outstanding Texas student debt amounts to $117.5 billion, according to Lending Tree. Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program doesn’t wipe out those billions in debt in one ...