Spring Break
Tuition increase outstrips inflation
By: Nathan Ball
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
Tuition will increase by $7.25 a credit hour in the fall, almost 5 percent of the present cost.
This is the smallest percentage increase in tuition for undergraduate students since fiscal year 1999, according to a statement released by Texas A&M President Elsa Murano on Monday. It is more than half of the increase which was expected by the Murano's financial team, which reported that an increase of up to $20 a credit hour would be necessary to cover the University's base budget needs, which totals $24.7 million for fiscal year 2009.
"I considered this too much of a burden to put on our students, so I asked our financial team to sharpen their pencils and reduce this tuition increase as much as possible," Murano said.
She said the financial team was able to realize some additional cost savings and defer other costs until 2010, when A&M can ask the legislature for more money.
Despite the low increase relative to previous years, Krystal Treloni Lair, a senior wildlife and fisheries major, said tuition is rising faster than inflation.
"Tuition increase above the rate of inflation means that our education is still getting more expensive," Lair said. Average inflation in 2007 was 2.85 percent according to Inflationindicator.com.
Brett Lutz, senior mechanical engineering major and the executive director of Academic Affairs, said he was excited that the tuition increase was so low.
"President Murano must have found other money," Lutz said. "We are always excited when outside sources are used to fund our education."
Rich Pontious, a finance graduate student and the executive director for Student Services, is more skeptical about the overall increases in tuition and fees.
"Fees are kind of getting out of control," Pontious said. "I am concerned about tuition and fees going up."
Fees have risen 9 to 10 percent, said Pontious, and in his opinion, the student fees process is not really meeting students' needs.
"This year has been crazy. It seems like every week I heard about a new fee proposal," Pontious complained. "Fortunately, we were able to defeat a lot of them."
Though he recognizes the need for quality education and supports the goals of Vision 2020, Pontious said he wants education to remain affordable to as many as possible.
Student Body President Conner Prochaska said that "Texas A&M will not ever be the cheapest in the state, but we definitely want Texas A&M to be the best overall value. I think that's the case."
Murano said that she is committed to A&M's original land-grant mission, which endeavors to provide affordable higher education for all Texans.
This is the smallest percentage increase in tuition for undergraduate students since fiscal year 1999, according to a statement released by Texas A&M President Elsa Murano on Monday. It is more than half of the increase which was expected by the Murano's financial team, which reported that an increase of up to $20 a credit hour would be necessary to cover the University's base budget needs, which totals $24.7 million for fiscal year 2009.
"I considered this too much of a burden to put on our students, so I asked our financial team to sharpen their pencils and reduce this tuition increase as much as possible," Murano said.
She said the financial team was able to realize some additional cost savings and defer other costs until 2010, when A&M can ask the legislature for more money.
Despite the low increase relative to previous years, Krystal Treloni Lair, a senior wildlife and fisheries major, said tuition is rising faster than inflation.
"Tuition increase above the rate of inflation means that our education is still getting more expensive," Lair said. Average inflation in 2007 was 2.85 percent according to Inflationindicator.com.
Brett Lutz, senior mechanical engineering major and the executive director of Academic Affairs, said he was excited that the tuition increase was so low.
"President Murano must have found other money," Lutz said. "We are always excited when outside sources are used to fund our education."
Rich Pontious, a finance graduate student and the executive director for Student Services, is more skeptical about the overall increases in tuition and fees.
"Fees are kind of getting out of control," Pontious said. "I am concerned about tuition and fees going up."
Fees have risen 9 to 10 percent, said Pontious, and in his opinion, the student fees process is not really meeting students' needs.
"This year has been crazy. It seems like every week I heard about a new fee proposal," Pontious complained. "Fortunately, we were able to defeat a lot of them."
Though he recognizes the need for quality education and supports the goals of Vision 2020, Pontious said he wants education to remain affordable to as many as possible.
Student Body President Conner Prochaska said that "Texas A&M will not ever be the cheapest in the state, but we definitely want Texas A&M to be the best overall value. I think that's the case."
Murano said that she is committed to A&M's original land-grant mission, which endeavors to provide affordable higher education for all Texans.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com