While tuition costs for the 2004-2005 academic year have yet to be revealed, the Office of Finance and Administration has this year provided reason for ambitious students to smile. As of this summer, students that wish to graduate in less than four years may do so without incurring an acceleration charge. These extra costs were a vestigial policy from the days when undergraduates were required to spend only four semesters on campus. It was believed that some sort of economic disincentive was needed to prevent students from graduating in less than the traditional four years. When the on-campus requirement was increased to six semesters in 2000, the charges appeared pointless, especially in light of the popularity of study abroad programs.
While there are plenty of legitimate reasons for undergrads to stick around for all four years, some determined individuals are ready to leave before then. Whether they want to get a head start in the job market or travel around the world before beginning law school, these students do not need to and should not be penalized for their desire to move on from Wesleyan. It is encouraging to see that the University has recognized this fact and taken swift and organized actions to make it a reality.
Now that the Administration has turned its focus to tuition costs, we urge it to take advantage of this momentum to consider other revisions. For example, it should get rid of the unfair and unreasonable policy by which students that study abroad must still pay full tuition to Wesleyan. Even if the study abroad program is cheaper than a semester on campus, the University pays the foreign university’s tuition costs and keeps the change, which is often several thousand dollars. Needless to say, the University is an unnecessary middleman and needs to be eliminated.
A tuition freeze for upperclassmen is another change that should be instituted. Students have a difficult time paying off student loans without having to worry about those debts increasing each successive year. Furthermore, a tuition freeze could easily be implemented in a way that would not cost the University money and would make financial planning for college easier.
Although only a handful of students are eligible for or interested in early graduation, the Administration made the wise decision to stop penalizing students for being ambitious. Now, it would be nice for the rest of the students to be part of these positive trends.
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