<p>"As students around the country anxiously wait for college acceptance letters, their parents are sweating the looming tuition bills at public universities.</p>
<p>Florida college students could face yearly 15 percent tuition increases for years, and University of Illinois students will pay at least 9 percent more. The University of Washington will charge 14 percent more at its flagship campus. And in California, tuition increases of more than 30 percent have sparked protests reminiscent of the 1960s.</p>
<p>Tuition has been trending upward for years, but debate in statehouses and trustee meeting rooms has been more urgent this year as most states struggle their way out of the economic meltdown.</p>
<p>The College Board says families are paying about $172 to $1,096 more in tuition and fees this school year. The national average for 2009-2010 is about $7,020, not including room and board, according to the nonprofit association of colleges that oversees the SATs and Advanced Placement tests....."</p>
<p>^^ Exactly!! When private schools state average increases (ie: 6%), I always think about it as 6% of what!!! 6% of 10,000 is a lot different than 6% of 45,000!</p>
<p>Not in Missouri. If state schools in Missouri raise tuition for their instate students, they risk a likely possibility of losing even more state funds. As for out-of-state students, we get to pick up the tab which is awesome… NOT</p>
<p>And that’s why some kids are by-passing their flagships and going to others that give merit and are cheaper than their own schools. </p>
<p>Ugh, U of I too? It’s already almost $30k to attend instate</p>
<p>Yes! And for kids who are opting for majors that don’t require a Top 50 school, going to an OOS flagship that will give them free or very reduced tuition is very appealing. Only paying room, board, books, & travel is very appealing to many. $13k per year vs $30k.</p>
<p>One of the reasons I bypassed U of I is because of the out of pocket cost to me after financial aid and scholarships from all my schools. This news does not sound good at all</p>
<p>Someone has to pay the piper for government’s profilgate spending all these years. The country can’t keep borrowing their way out of deficits. So in state publics need to start charging what it truly costs to attend</p>
<p>S’s private school just announced a price freeze–for NEXT year–after S graduates.</p>
<p>(Cost has gone up each year he’s been there, but at just under 30K/year for t/f/r&b, I see that it is quite reasonable for a private school–how can IN-STATE publics cost this much?!)</p>
<p>Privates have their own problems with endowments down and out of control costs from the boom times a few years ago. Everybody is in the same boat more or less.</p>
<p>It’s been trending this way for awhile and now some of the more low cost states are following suit. The opportunity to go away to a 4 year college, which was pretty much guaranteed for everyone 25 years ago, is no longer a reality for many students or maybe even most students. Cost increases at state schools will further accelerate the trend. We are well along in the establishment of a higher ed system stratified by income/wealth. Flagships across America will eventually all be state supported education for mostly higher income Americans. The lower level states will be filled with middle income students and lower income students will be forced into cc’s and commuter states. That’s basically what’s happening.</p>
<p>I’m probably more skeptical than most, but I can’t understand how u of I is worth that much more than other publics, after I hear so much about online classes and lecture halls overflowing into rooms with tv moniters…Is it just because Illinois as a state is in so much debt?</p>
<p>U of I has guaranteed tuition for four years so when they hike the rates, they have to make sure it will cover costs over the four years. It’s not pretty at UIUC right now, financially.</p>
<p>Even if many public schools such as Florida or Maryland or NY raise their tuition by 15%, it would still be a steal for these kids. Private schools can indeed be triple or even quadruple in tuition and fee costs when compared to in-state tuitions at state universities. Moreover, many of these private schools are also charging much more in tuition and fees in order to subsidize losses in endowments that were previously used to provide scholarships and fellowships. </p>
<p>A good example was University of Richmond. About four years ago, they raised their tuition for incoming new students by at least $10,000 per year alone in order to"provide more scholarship aid for needy students."</p>
<p>Remember these increases are just in tuition. So at a school where housing and food costs are very high, a 30% increase in tuition does not equal a 30% jump in the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>“Even if many public schools such as Florida or Maryland or NY raise their tuition by 15%, it would still be a steal for these kids.”</p>
<p>It’s certainly a steal for higher income families, essentially taxpayer subsidized education for the wealthy. U. of Maryland currently lists first year total cost at well over $21,000. A 15% raise would bring it close to $25,000. Without a huge increase in both federal and state aid for lower and middle class families this kind of increase will result in a much less economically diverse student body. For wealthy folks it’s obviously a good deal compared to the privates but for poorer families this trend is pretty much a disaster. It would probably make little difference if the state simply abandoned these institutions and let their prices rise in the free marketplace while subsidizing with taxpayer dollars schools whose structure and policies make them accessible to a wide range of taxpayer families.</p>
<p>At U of I though tuition is locked in for the years that the student is there. For instance, I will be paying the same amount next year and the year after because my tuition amount will be locked in. However, each new class that either enters as a transfer or freshman have an increased tuition. I will be paying more than someone who started 2 years ago.</p>
<p>As long as the tuition doesn’t go past 25K then I’ll be grateful for a good public education. Honestly, its still a great deal, considering the education is equal to that of a private which are paying 45k+. </p>
<p>Yeah, if I need to I will take up loans, so my parents can pay for my sisters… As for privates with lots of FA, I ask you this–how many schools have that large of an endowment to support such aid? Furthermore, while I have seen many brilliant people at my school, how many will be admitted to the select few schools which can offer that much FA?!</p>
I understand it’s probably necessary for their situation, but…</p>