Who do I have to thank for my college tuition doubling?

Because (generalizing) the Republican party represents rich people. Rich people can afford tuition of $3000 (or more). Their attitude: if you can't afford it, then you're a grunt peon and should go get a crappy education from a community college or junior college. God forbid they make a college education tangible for middle and lower-income people.

higher tuition = fewer students.
fewer students = fewer teachers and fewer degrees.
fewer degrees = more people of lower education.
more people of lower education = more ghettos & slums.
more ghettos & slums = more crime, disease, and overpoputation.

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The middle class is being destroyed.

-- droxford

 

Spinmeister Dakota!

 

Unfortunately, not enough people in this country take advantage of the thousands of loans, grants, and scholarships available to incoming college freshmen. It is a common misconception, that "I can't afford college, it's too expensive." Total BS. There are plenty of students who bust their asses working 20+ hours per week, while managing a full workload.

If you're in a dire financial situation, you can take out loans for 4 years, and then start repaying them after you graduate. Saying, "I can't afford it" is simply a copout. If your #1 priority is to get an education, then you will find a way to make it happen.

 

I had no idea I was so rich! Oh, happy day!!!




Just please don't tell my creditors.

 

great in theory, but what happens when the economy and job market is such that jobs for grads are scarce?

 

You can always go work phone sales at Dell. Seriously though, job placement is a huge issue at UT. I worked the UT engineering career fair last spring, and there were very few companies hiring graduates. In the past, two levels of Erwin Center concourses as well as the entire arena floor were filled with company booths. It would literally take the whole day to make it through. Now, however, only the arena floor is left. Bad time to be an engineering graduate.

Anyways, I guess you have to look at college as a long-term investment and make some sacrifices. The way things are today, it's difficult to advance beyond a certain point without a college degree.

 

I definitely agree that whoever is in charge of this stuff (not naming names) is making my life worse right now and I'd like them out, oh any time this next few months or so.

Tuition sucks.

 

I'll be a junior at a public university in Arkansas next year, and in two years, the overall cost of school has gone up between $950-1000 per semester.

 

You were there about the same time I was. I graduated in 1992. Tuition was low then.

 

I was against tuition deregulation when it came up and think it a bad thing, though I think we'd see higher tuition even without deregulation.

One reaons we have it that hasn't been mentioned is The University of Texas pushing so hard for it. They're feeling being that the Top Ten Percent law has made the number of students they have to admit explode. Raising tuition considerably allows them to cut some of the numbers of people going to the school while also giving the school more money per student, allowing them to more easily make room (in a financial sense) for the students they admit.

It's amazing to me, too, how much power Gov. Perry and the Texas Legislature has. I mean, tuition at the University of Oklahoma is up almost 30% from 2002 to 2003, for example, and it went up considerably again for this year. I didn't realize Texas controlled them, too.

$3,400 per semester is steep. Here in Arkansas tuition at UA is a little over $2,000 a semester and at A-State it's around $2,200. Even at the University of Memphis it only $2,200 per semester.

That $3,400 is steep. Some Texas universities are cheaper. UNT, for example, would cost about $2,400 for 12 hours. Texas A&M - Commerce is just over 1,800 for 12 semester hours. Texas Tech is roughly $2,500 for 15 hours. Texas A&M will run you about $2,200 to $2,400 for 12 hours (depending on course fees).

So you won't necessarily pay $3,400 for a semester at a Texas university. Some obviously went a little crazy with the increases (and everybody has more than doubled since I first set foot on a college campus in 1989).

EDIT: I read the wrong chart on the Texas Tech page, looking at the tuition for last year. This year would be about $600 more per semester, apparently, making them a relatively expensive university in Texas.

 

That and the fact that Rick Perry specifically screwed UH because he line item vetoed the Univ of Houston's ledger 1 money and gave it to UT Dallas instead. This caused colleges to have to hike fees to cover the lack of funds until tuition could be raised so that could pay T.A's and hire new professors.

Thanks Rick, you suck.

 

Ouch! Now that is quite a jump for one year. I remember the good old days from 1988 to 1993 when I paid about $600 a semester (12 hours).

I don't recall it being that cheap when I started in 1989. It was close to $1,000 per semester for me (I always took at least 15 hours, though).

I went back to school at West Texas A&M in 2000 (I've gone to a lot of schools), and it was about $1,400 a semester then for 15 hours. Fifteen hours at WT will run you $1,730 or so this Fall at WT.

 

I think your numbers are off a bit. For 15 hours here's the tuition and fees. Without adding fees you can't get a true picture. Also keep in mind that fees vary from course to course and college to college. Take a lot of Science classes, for example, and you can get nailed.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
2004 - 2005 College Student Budgets
Single Student Without Dependents
Off Campus, 9 Months, Full Time

Texas A&M University $5,948

University of North Texas $5,561

Texas A&M University-Commerce $3,834

PUBLIC UNIVERSITY AVERAGE $4,379

University of Houston $4,973

pdf

 

I didn't include the cost of books. If I included books, then the cost would go up about $200 to $300.

The main point is that UH was affordable at the time. I worked and paid my own way through school. No loans to payoff when I finished.

I personally think the UH gets screwed quite often by the state of Texas. It is definately the step-child compared to UT or A&M.

 

Threy aren't my numbers. They're the numbers you get by going to the University websites and looking at the chart, which includes tuition and fees.

But I guess the Universities themselves may not know how much they charge (and since I signed up for classes at TAMU-Commerce and got the bill, I guess that could be wrong, too).

The Higher Coordinating Board numbers likely include room & board as well as books, etc. coming up with a more total cost of attendance rather than the tuition and fees (since it does cost more to go to college than what you pay to the college in tuition and fees.

EDIT: Reading it again, I notice the Coordinating Board numbers are for 30 hours. Most of mine were for 12 hours. The numbers don't seem that far off to me and could be due to adding in some lab fees or something.

I mean I noted a $2,400 for 12 hours at UNT. The coordinating board says $2,700 for 15 hours. Both of those amounts could very well be true.

 

I didn't include the cost of books, either. Perhaps my University was just more expensive. I didn't go to UH.

I agree it was more affordable at the time, and while tuition and fees have risen at a rate higher than inflation for years, the increases sure seem to be considerably higher in the past couple of years (and especially this year with the deregulation).

 

UH does get screwed compared to a&m and ut but that's always been the case. I remember being on campus and sending letters to the congressional folks complaining as did many other students. they have been trying to double the fees for yrs.

 

The numbers I quoted are only Tuition and fees. The chart does go into detail on overall cost of living for off campus students, but number I used are only tuition and fees. It wasn't accusatory, and I apologize if that's how it came across. Just wanted make sure people got an accurate picture using standardized numbers.

 

nevermind.

I guess the higher coordinating board would be more accurate than the universities themselves, including the actual bills sent by the universities.

Sorry, I implied otherwise.

 

WOW! That much for UH? I remember getting 15 hours for @$238 + books (circa 1981-85).