The average tuition fees for in-state residents at public four-year colleges across the country have increased 9 percent in the last year alone according to a study done by the College Board in New York.
Linda Hamilton, the director of budgeting at the University, said that this increase comes from suffering state budgets around the country resulting in a need for more money from other sources.
“The biggest thing that’s driving the increases now is the lack of state support,” Hamilton said. “Back in the early ’70s, the state provided 60 percent of the cost of education. They are now providing 40 percent, so that means students have to pick up a larger share.”
Hamilton said that tuition at the University has increased 45 percent from 1990 to 2003 in inflation-adjusted dollars, much higher than the 13 percent increase in tuition from 1980 to 1990. She said that along with a decrease in state support comes an increase in the need for new computers and other up-to- date technology, which has led to larger tuition increases in recent years.
“[Colleges] always have to be on the cutting edge,” Hamilton said. “We have to have to newest [technology] in training the future leaders.”
In addition to the increase in tuition, there has been an increase in financial aid given. According to The College Board, nearly 60 percent of undergraduate students receive financial aid across the country.
However, about 65 percent of the students at the University receive some form of financial aid. Craig Cornell, director of student financial aid at the University, said that during the last academic year, $135 million was given to BGSU students for financial aid. He said that over the past decade, the amount of grant aid given out across the country has nearly tripled.
“[The amount of aid given] was $34 billion in ’92-’93, and now its $105 billion,” Cornell said. “That’s a pretty significant increase.”
But according to Cornell, the number of students receiving financial aid at the University has remained relatively stable in recent years. He said the main factor is the rising tuition.
“The tuition has increased so those that are borrowing money, are borrowing more and getting more aid as a result,” Cornell said. “The biggest thing you’ll find is that the dollars have gone up because there are more people taking advantage of different programs.”
Cornell said the main source of university costs include Internet connections, buildings and salaries for faculty and staff.
“Universities are known for having the best and the brightest that there are and those people cost money,” Cornell said
Textbooks also cost money, which is another factor in the increase of financial aid among college students, according to Maureen Ireland.
Ireland, the assistant director of the University Bookstore, said most students spend an average of $300-$500 on textbooks each semester, depending on the subject or the student’s major. However, she said she has a hard time selling the more expensive books, especially those in the technical department.
“If it’s a new book over the $100 price range, I hardly sell any,” Ireland said. “I don’t know how those people take the class. But it’s amazing how many of those books we sell in the last couple weeks of the semester when students realize they need to study for the final.”
Ireland said that despite the high cost of textbooks, there is often the advantage of buying used textbooks at a much cheaper cost. Also, at the end of the semester, the bookstore buys many of the books back from students.
“When I went to USF [University of Southern Florida] we bought all brand new books,” Ireland said. “When I bought the book, I kept it. Now we will pay [students] 50 percent of the new price of a book if it’s being used in a course during the next semester, so it’s possible to recoup part of the cost.”
The bookstore always sells used books before the new versions since they are much more affordable. But often publishing companies make new editions of books when there is new technology involved, including web based CD’s. Ireland said when new editions are published, students are forced to buy the newer books and pay the full price, which adds to their expenses.
“When it’s a new technology you have to go with the new book,” Ireland said. “That’s how some publishers get you to buy new [books], because obviously the used market is really cutting into their sales.”
