2008 Woodie Awards
Paying the bills
Fee increases alter student body
Carolyn Strauss
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Fuse
Originally published: 4/19/07 at 3:56 PM EST
Last update: 4/19/07 at 4:47 PM EST
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Most students know college is expensive. Some students, however, may feel the effects of college tuition and costs more than others.
An article by Lauren Smith, "Four decades of survey data on American freshman reveal widening socioeconomic gap", published in the Chronicle of Higher Education on April 9, stated that increases in the cost of tuition can lead to a decrease in the attendance of low-income students in colleges.
Last February "Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine" ranked Plattsburgh State the 57th best value for out-of-state students and the 84th best value for in-state-students.
The cost of tuition at PSUC has remained the same for the last four years, Richard Higgins, director of admissions, said.
Currently, in-state undergraduate students pay $4,350 a year for tuition at PSUC. The cost of tuition for an in-state graduate student is $6,900. Out-of-state undergraduate students must pay $10,610 for tuition while out-of-state graduate students face a cost of $10,920.
Although mandatory fees, such as housing and meal plans, and optional student fees increase yearly, the low cost of tuition compared to that of private schools is appealing to prospective students.
Todd Moravec, director of student financial services at PSUC, said the last SUNY tuition increase took place during the fall 2003 semester.
The previous tuition of $3,400 saw an increase of $950 per year.
"Historically, SUNY has a pattern of not raising tuition for a long time, usually seven or eight years," Moravec said. "After that, though, there is usually a big increase."
At the time of the tuition increase Moravec was asked to do a research project. One of the focuses of the project dealt with the impact on the student population as a result of the tuition increase.
The results of his research showed it was not the lowest income students who would suffer from the increase, after all. In actuality it would be the middle income students who would suffer the most, Moravec said.
An article by Lauren Smith, "Four decades of survey data on American freshman reveal widening socioeconomic gap", published in the Chronicle of Higher Education on April 9, stated that increases in the cost of tuition can lead to a decrease in the attendance of low-income students in colleges.
Last February "Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine" ranked Plattsburgh State the 57th best value for out-of-state students and the 84th best value for in-state-students.
The cost of tuition at PSUC has remained the same for the last four years, Richard Higgins, director of admissions, said.
Currently, in-state undergraduate students pay $4,350 a year for tuition at PSUC. The cost of tuition for an in-state graduate student is $6,900. Out-of-state undergraduate students must pay $10,610 for tuition while out-of-state graduate students face a cost of $10,920.
Although mandatory fees, such as housing and meal plans, and optional student fees increase yearly, the low cost of tuition compared to that of private schools is appealing to prospective students.
Todd Moravec, director of student financial services at PSUC, said the last SUNY tuition increase took place during the fall 2003 semester.
The previous tuition of $3,400 saw an increase of $950 per year.
"Historically, SUNY has a pattern of not raising tuition for a long time, usually seven or eight years," Moravec said. "After that, though, there is usually a big increase."
At the time of the tuition increase Moravec was asked to do a research project. One of the focuses of the project dealt with the impact on the student population as a result of the tuition increase.
The results of his research showed it was not the lowest income students who would suffer from the increase, after all. In actuality it would be the middle income students who would suffer the most, Moravec said.
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