Students Brace for Largest Tuition Jump in Years
Tuition increases at the nation’s colleges are inevitable.
However, in the current economic climate — where states are slashing
budgets to the bone — public colleges are being forced to raise
tuition at rates that haven’t been seen in years, reports The
Associated Press (“Families Await Sharpest Tuition Increases in
Years,” Jan. 15, 2009).
Public, state-supported institutions have hiked tuition fees by 8 to
10 percent during economic recessions of the past in order to make
up for reductions in government contributions, according to Nick
Johnson of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
“This recession is worse. This state fiscal crisis is worse than
last time, so we would expect state tuition increases to be larger
than in past years,” Johnson said.
With severe budget cutbacks in the governor of California’s new
budget proposal, for example, university fees are expected to rise
by at least 10 percent at California state schools. And the New York
state government’s recent announcement of an unusual midyear
increase to state public college tuition made it clear that the
state’s budget crisis was so severe it couldn’t afford to wait until
fall to impose a 14-percent tuition hike.
John Hayek, interim vice president of finance for the Kentucky
Council on Postsecondary Education, says although the state
announced it will hold tuition increases below last year’s, which
ranged from 6 to 10 percent for in-state students, the state still
plans to raise tuition by about 5 percent at community colleges and
between 7 and 10 percent at public universities.
Families Uncertain How to Cover Extra Costs
For the four out of five American college students who attend public
schools, these tuition increases have become a cause for concern,
particularly in regard to their families’ ability to afford their
college education.
Since many families lost savings in the stock market or can no
longer tap home equity loans due to the real estate crash, says Jim
Boyle, president of advocacy group College Parents of America,
paying for college next year may be a particularly painful process
with fewer means of financing college available.
“We’re probably going to have to take some options off the table
(for the other children) unless things change,” said Donna Kopec,
whose daughter’s college mutual fund lost a third of its value.
Kopec says that the drop in the market has created a funding
challenge for all three of her college-bound daughters. She hopes
President Barack Obama will follow through on campaign promises that
include increasing Pell Grant amounts and implementing programs that
award college grants in exchange for community service.