<p>Everyone makes very good points, but I’m disappointed that I received no sympathy. Money is always a concern when we are talking about costs of this magnitude. Shouldn’t the “massive building campaign” be financed by a capital budget coming from the State and private donations? I personally believe that part of the annual pricing of college tuition is made based upon how the school is positioning itself against the competition. For example, Delaware perceived that it was looking too cheap, so it raised OOS tuition to match schools such as Penn State. I think the annual process works to the UD’s advantage. Students begin their college search a couple of years before they know the actual freshman tuition. Students are require to accept admissions offers by May 1 before the freshman tuition prices are available. I admit that I did not pay enough attention to the pattern of tuition increases to predict the percentage increase.</p>
<p>at a recent visit, U Del stated that their endowment is over $1 billion. This should put them in pretty solid financial shape! U Del also stated that they only receive a small percentage of their funding from public sources.</p>
<p>While one billion would seemingly put UDel up in the major leagues, it’s not that large and probably at the low end of major University standards,</p>
<p>[List</a> of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment]List”>List of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Helidad, I don’t think it’s a matter of others not having sympathy for you, after all we’re all pretty much in the same boat here. For me (and having already had two children in more expensive schools), it’s just a matter knowing that’s what it is. I understood that tuition will go up going in. There’s also the annoying and growing costs of getting in to college: standardized tests, grade reporting, college applications and visits. And a myriad of costs afterwards.</p>
<p>UDel may be positioning itself against the competition but so are we, positioning our children against the competition by chosing and deciding where they will go to school and what we are willing to pay or sacrifice or borrow for it. In the end we hope that it will give them a better leg up in the world when they graduate with a UDel education and diploma vs. X College or University.</p>
<p>Helidad, I’m sympathetic for both of us! But my D is in a major for which UD is pretty much the only place to be, so we’re just sucking it up here and dreaming about taking the first vacation in 12 years after she graduates.</p>
<p>pamom, I don’t know what it is today, but in recent years, UDel’s endowment has dropped. An article in the Review last year stated that before the economic crisis, the endowment was worth $1.3 to $1.4 billion. But at the time of the article the endowment was down to approximately $1.1 billion. </p>
<p>[Decrease</a> in university endowment lessens financial aid - News - The Review - The independent student newspaper of the University of Delaware since 1882](<a href=“http://www.udreview.com/news/decrease-in-university-endowment-lessens-financial-aid-1.1478180]Decrease”>http://www.udreview.com/news/decrease-in-university-endowment-lessens-financial-aid-1.1478180)</p>
<p>In that Wikipedia article I cited UDel’s was the only major U whose 2011 endowment was not given. Does anyone know what it currently is and if the drop has been more for UD than others? Or why they didn’t release the information?</p>
<p>mhc- I’m no expert on endowments I’m just repeating what was said by the Director of Admissions- the endowment is “over $1 billion” and this was said as a point of pride. :)</p>
<p>We also walked by the construction site for the huge new integrated science and technology center. [Interdisciplinary</a> Science & Engineering Laboratory, University of Delaware, Resource Site](<a href=“http://www.udel.edu/iselab/]Interdisciplinary”>Story Title)</p>
<p>I got the definite impression that U D is an institution that is investing in the future, and not in cost-cutting mode. Hopefully that means educational programs and opportunities at U D will be expanding in the future. I believe that U D is one of the “up and coming” universities and hopefully that will benefit all our students (actually mine is just a prospective student!)</p>
<p>I also wish tuition wouldn’t go up but this is the sad reality. In PA, our two big public universities, PSU and Pitt, are #1 and #2 in the nation for most expensive schools. 
PSU’s endowment is approx $1.5 billion <a href=“http://www.psu.edu/oim/assets/webdocs10/botcal2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.psu.edu/oim/assets/webdocs10/botcal2010.pdf</a></p>
<p>Pitt’s endowment is surprisingly about $2 billion <a href=“http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2011/02/08/pitt-endowment-ranked-28th-largest.html[/url]”>http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2011/02/08/pitt-endowment-ranked-28th-largest.html</a></p>
<p>I agree with pamom. If you walk around the UD campus there is a tremendous amount of building going on in addition to that already mentioned. A brand new bookstore will be opening up on 8/1/11. It is my perspective that even for UD to make the list of Universities with endowments of over a billion dollars is quite an accomplishment in itself. There are many prestigious universities not on that list. If you look at the list of the 47 (I believe) universites on the list I would wager to bet that most college applicants would give their eye teeth just to be accepted by most of them. In addition, only about 14 of them are public universities, and most of these are big-time college sports (football/basketball) universities which tend to amass a lot of contributions as a result of this. Except for Richmond I believe that UD is the smallest of the public schools. Delaware is also one of the smallest states in the nation. I certainly did not enjoy the yearly increases I had to pay while my D was at UD for 4 years but at least I felt that UD was going to use the money to benefit the students/ programs at UD and thereby foster the growth of the quality and reputation of the school.</p>
<p>I dont’ disagree with you in substance, Mwallenmd, in fact that’s pretty much what I’d said in an earlier post. </p>
<p>However, all that building was probably planned and then set in motion a few years ago before any changes in the endowment. In reviewing the numbers, after decreases in two prior years, all but 3 of the 47 Universities listed reported increases in their endowments from 2009 to 2010 (some significantly, the other three with minor decreases) Only Udel’s 2010 figures are blank. So… I’m wondering if UD reported their results or if not, why not. I’ve searched on line and can’t find it.</p>
<p>I’m not making any point here, just curious.</p>
<p>mch48: </p>
<p>From UD’s 2010 Annual report (6/30/10):</p>
<p>2009 Endowment (and other investments) : 1.05 Billion</p>
<p>2010 Endowment (and other investments): 1.17 Billion</p>
<p>Thanks Mwallenmd. For comparison regarding the original topic, I got this today for my son who is going into his last year (semester really) at UMich:</p>
<p>“…most resident undergraduate rates will rise by 6.7%. Increases for full-time resident undergraduates range from $399-$700 per term. Most non-resident undergraduate rates will increase by 4.9%. Full-time non-resident undergraduate students will see an increase of $891-$1,204 per term. Rates for most graduate programs will go up by 4.9%. Room and Board is separately assessed and will increase at a rate of 3%.”</p>
<p>Note that UMich’s in-state costs are increasing by 6.7% while OOS costs are increasing by only 4.9%. I think some schools are sensitive to the absolute dollar increase that families are paying. U of Delaware’s percentage increases were about the same for in-state and OOS.</p>
<p>However, Mich’s OOS tuition is about $10,000 more than UD’s so in absolute dollars the total increase is close to the same for both schools.</p>