The Board of Trustees recently made the decision to increase tuition and residential comprehensive fees by 2.9 percent for the 2013-14 academic year. As a result of a push from President Roth discouraging large tuition increases, this tuition increase was pegged to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is the rate of inflation. Consequently, the increase amounted to the smallest rise in the past 30 years.
According to Vice President for Finance and Administration John Meerts, tuition will increase because costs have gone up.
Tuition increases traditionally ranged from three to five percent in past years. According to Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) President Zachary Malter ’13, the lower tuition increase was a step in the right direction for the University’s efforts to make education accessible for all students.
“The majority of the WSA felt that [the lower increase in tuition] was better than the status quo,” Malter said. “The University needs to do more to guarantee its affordability in the future.”
Roth emphasized his commitment to increasing affordability for students.
“By tying tuition increases to the rate of inflation, we are seeking to moderate the growth of costs in keeping with the goal of affordability,” Roth stated in a March 11 article in the Wesleyan Connection.
While the decrease in the rate of tuition increase is a sign of the University’s dedication to remaining affordable, it raises questions of financial sustainability.
According to Malter, during discussions on tuition raises, some students claimed that higher tuition increases were important for generating revenue.
“There is some argument to be made that the redistributive effect of higher tuition is a good thing,” Malter said.
Nonetheless, affordability remains an issue, and many worry about next year’s tuition even though the increase is lower than it has been. For the next academic year, tuition will be $46,674 for all students before financial aid is applied. Residential comprehensive fees will be $12,940 for freshman and sophomores and $14,710 for juniors and seniors . The total student charges will be $59,884 for freshman and sophomores, and $61,654 for juniors and seniors, excluding additional fees like the Green Fund.
Malter pointed out that the sticker price effect of the new tuition, or the impact of seeing the initial cost, should not be ignored.
“There was a lot of conversation about how the sticker price affects who applies,” Malter said. “You can see that the price is a little bit south of 60,000 dollars. People felt that if it exceeded 60,000, it would have turned away people.”
Malter also commented on the importance of a dialogue between the administration and the students in determining the raise in tuition. The decision is usually made by the administration and the Board of Trustees, who do not consult the student body with the exception of the WSA Budget Priorities Committee. In order to generate conversation about this year’s tuition raise, the WSA took it upon itself to reach out to the student body.
“I just think that it’s incredibly important that the administration consult the students and the families that are going to be affected by this and consider affordability concerns as the single biggest factor in this decision,” Malter said.
Besides the question of affordability, another student concern is diversity. Malter expressed that Wesleyan is currently one of the lowest schools in its peer group in terms of offering financial aid and attracting socioeconomic diversity. However, it is not the only school trying to balance sustainability and affordability.
“Tuition increase is a challenge that all schools are trying to grapple with,” Malter said.
Although an increase in tuition could mean better financial aid packages for admitted students, the sticker price could deter middle-class applicants from applying.
“Middle-class families are going to see the price, regardless of how much financial aid we distribute, and their kids are not going to apply,” Malter said.
According to Director of Financial Aid John Gudvangen, the University will continue to meet the full financial need of students.
“Our practice of meeting the full need of Wesleyan students has not changed,” Gudvangen wrote in an email to The Argus. “The University is providing additional financial aid funds in proportion to the increase in cost. Our process to determine need remains the same.”
Meerts also expressed that the University’s financial aid policy will remain the same even with the tuition increase.
“There would be no effect either way,” Meerts wrote in an email to The Argus.
When asked about their opinions regarding the raise in total costs next year, students responded with sustainability and affordability in mind.
“Wealthier students need to pay their share so we can keep the school economically diverse, but I feel like it will disproportionately hurt the group who doesn’t receive aid but dedicated most of their family’s income to tuition,” said Angus McLean ’16.
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