<p>I had a debate with someone this morning and just wanted to know what people thought. If you're an out-of-state student at a public school, do you have the right to complain about high tuition costs? </p>
<p>I don't think so because:</p>
<ol>
<li>they are not paying taxes to the state to help fund the college</li>
<li>the purpose of a state college is to educate the residents of the state and the out of state students are already taking away from spots that could have been given to in-state residents.</li>
</ol>
<p>Some people may say that they got rejected from their state flagship university and were forced to go out-of-state to get a great education and campus that they like the best but in my opinion, there are many great colleges in your own state that you can afford if you cannot afford any out-of-state options.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents on this topic. Feel free to let me know if I'm thinking way out of line and not being sympathetic to out of state students who cannot afford their current college options (public colleges only).</p>
<p>PS: I'm an out-of-state student at a public college and I can afford to attend my out-of-state public college.</p>
<p>I suppose you’d have a right to complain, but it’d sound a bit silly. After all, it’s the OOS student who chose to go to the college in a system that his state taxes don’t subsidize. I don’t complain about the cost of BMWs and Mercedes - I just choose not to buy them because they’re out of my price range.</p>
<p>They certainly have the right to complain. Anyone can complain about anything…</p>
<p>They also have the right to choose not to enroll if they feel OOS tuition is not too expensive.</p>
<p>As to those who complain that they need to go OOS because they do not qualify for their own in-state flagship: why is that the problem of the OOS school? The obvious solution is to put yourself in a position to be accepted at your in state flagship, or to find an alternative acceptable to you.</p>
<p>When you are rejected from your instate flagship, you are not “forced” to attend an OOS public school. My son never even applied to his instate flagship and he did not apply to a single out of state public university. He did apply to a smaller instate public school, and private colleges/universities. I do not feel that he will have an “inferior” education to one that he would have gotten at our instate flagship, or an OOS public university. We knew that we could not afford the pricetag of most OOS public schools, so we did not even look at them closely.</p>
<p>I think not because the tuition is public information and, presumably, one would know that before applying. My D is applying to state schools as an out-of-stater. We are aware that they’re more expensive than our own in state schools, but they’re substantially cheaper than private. She chose one (TCNJ) just because she absolutely loved it when visiting and the other (UDel) because it has a unique program. I think those are valid reasons, although we haven’t heard back from either yet, so we don’t know which way the decision will ultimately go.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you one thing I complain about vocally. My daughter applied to one of our in-state schools that also has a particularly good program and is one of her top choices. We were told straight out on our visit that it was favoring out-of-state applicants this year because of financial considerations. I’ve spoken to a higher-level person there about this (respectfully, of course) and it does seem to be the accepted policy and is also a factor (although how much of one, I don’t know) in completely changing the admissions process. I do have a problem with my kid being a second-class applicant at both her out-of-state choices AND particularly in the state in which we reside. She’s above the 75th percentile in GPA and scores at that school, but I still don’t have a good feeling about her admission prospects.</p>
<p>Zooser, is she a second class citizen at TCNJ for admissions? I would not have thought that. I would have thought that all NJ public schools would love seeing more OOS students, just like the SUNYs.</p>
<p>D really liked an OOS public last year but after evaluating the finances and considering grad school in the future, she opted not to attend. </p>
<p>zoosermom, that’s incredible! I would complain about that as well. Don’t believe our state schools (VA) can do that- limits on OOS enrollment are set by the legislature. Crossing my fingers for your D.</p>
<p>I think some states are overcharging OOS and using the profits to make up for state shorting them in funding to support instate students. I think they have some right to complain about that. Those states should raise instate tuition enough so that OOS kids are not subsidizing them to the extent they now do.</p>
No, we think not. But definitely at Delaware, which is, frankly, as it should be.</p>
<p>
Thank you! She did apply to a less-selective SUNY and would be happy there if need be, but the program at Binghamton is the “ta da” program for her.</p>
<p>I’ve read recently that quite a few state schools are talking about increasing out of state tuition because it’s easier than fighting the politics of raising in state tuition. They may plug the budget shortfall with the path of least resistance at the time.</p>
<p>No, I don’t think they have the right to complain. They should vote with their feet. The universities are able to charge these rates because students pay them.
And a public university’s first obligation is to its own taxpayers.</p>
<p>*they got rejected from their state flagship university and were forced to go out-of-state to get a great education and campus that they like the best but in my opinion, there are many great colleges in your own state that you can afford if you cannot afford any out-of-state options.
*</p>
<p>No one is “forced” to go anywhere. They could have gone to a lesser ranked in-state school, gone to a cheaper OOS school, tried harder in high school so they would have been accepted, or gone to a CC and then transferred to their flagship.</p>
<p>A university’s obligation to the taxpayers is directly related to the adequacy of funding that stae provides to the university. Lately some states want it both ways–lower support buy more control of school operations and decisions. Not fair.</p>
<p>Agree with barrons. A lot of people are under the mistaken impression that OOS students at public universities are subsidized by in-state taxpayers. That’s rarely the case these days. In most cases the annual state appropriation per in-state student is less than the difference between in-state and OOS tuition. Do the math: bottom line, that means in most cases OOS students are actually subsidizing the education of in-state students, because the state legislature is too cheap to ante up the full cost of the in-state students’ education (i.e., the full difference between in-state tuition and the average cost-per-student of the university’s instructional programs). </p>
<p>Do the OOS students “have the right to complain”? Sure. The First Amendment guarantees anyone’s right to complain about just about anything without state interference. Do they have a legitimate beef? Well, maybe. If the state and the university are using them as a cash cow to cover the costs of educating in-state students, then yes. Sure, they could choose to go elsewhere. But in some cases they’re being hit midstream with tuition increases they couldn’t reasonably have anticipated, and it may be costly and disruptive to transfer. I’d say they’ve got as much right to complain as in-state students.</p>
<p>I’ll listen to anyone complain about tuition costs. I still find them shocking.</p>
<p>As for the question, I do believe that if my son attended an out of state college I’d have the right to complain. We’re a military family. Our child has moved five times in the past 12 years and his father has done two combat tours in Iraq. </p>
<p>It truly galls me that he qualifies for in-state tuition only in the state in which his father is a resident. He considers himself a resident of the US, not of just one state, and I think he’s right.</p>
<p>zoosermom, I think that TCNJ is actively trying to have more out-of-state students, to improve its reputation and name recognition. So, I don’t think being from OOS would hurt admissions chances there. </p>
<p>However, a HUGE number of students from my S’s public NJ school have applied there, from what I’ve heard. Among my S’s friends, there have somewhat surprisingly been more TCNJ applications than Rutgers, including several who already have TCNJ ED acceptances. I think competition at all public schools will be fiercer than usual this year.</p>
<p>But I agree that anyone can complain about tuition rates- after all I know of quite a few students who were enticed by merit aid to attend OOS, however that aid was reduced in later years so much so that they had to transfer out.</p>
<p>The situation with taxes is a little different with bordering states. A resident of New Hampshire could work in MA and pay MA state income taxes but wouldn’t have in-state prices. I was a resident of MA for many years and paid MA income, sales and other taxes but moved to New Hampshire with a job relocation.</p>
<p>Basically one can have taxation without representation if you work out of state.</p>
<p>We do get a break on tuition because of tuition arrangements between states in New England.</p>
<p>Can a resident complain when the state university gives merit money to out of staters? If it’s taxpayer dollars, I’d rather see it go to state residents.</p>