posted
I'm applying to UWO in Ontario by next winter. I suppose I should be alright. I have to take out a loan with the government though (called OSAP for any of you who know about it).
I keep hearing about how tuition used to be so much cheaper...but I can't understand why that is...does it ONLY have to do with the rising costs of materials needed for universities? Isn't there anything else to it?
Posts: 149 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
It's obviously because they realized you are about to go to college. It's the same sort of reason why gas is so amazingly expensive: because I got a car.
posted
Friends don't let friends go to Western. I'm sorry, as a Waterloo student I have to hate you for going to your lowbrow party school.
And as a student of UWO you must hate me for my insufferable arrogance, success and shatteringly good looks
I'm sure all of this will be covered in your orientation.
Was there question in your post? Sorry, I just couldn't get past the huge mistake you've made by placing your future in the hands of any school by Waterloo.
May you realize the error of your ways before it's too late.
posted
lol...those bastards. I know what you mean, I bought my car just as soon as the gas prices started going up.
Posts: 149 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I think it's partially because of inflation. Plus, all of the schools have to deal with getting new technology, like going wireless.
Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I went to community college for one semester (to finish up some humanities GE credits) and I found that I actually learned more there than the four-year university I graduated from.
The community colleges have smaller classes and professors who are dedicated to teaching instead of research. Some people argue that part of the benefit of four-year schools is that you are more intellecutally challenged by your peers. However, I think students at community colleges are more mature (many are older students) and have more world experiences. Plus, you can't argue with $8 per credit at Cal State LA. Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Oh, waterloo... There must be something wrong with you.
Just because Western is by a polluted crap filled river, and just because we're known as a party school, and just because there's nothing to do in London but drink, doesn't mean that we're shite!
posted
Inflation certainly explains a little bit of the problem, but tuition is rising much faster than inflation.
Public schools (like mine, University of Oregon): Decreasing funding from the state is a huge factor. Next year, in-state tuition will be over $6000 for the first time. Back before I was born, the state would cover over 70% of in-state students' college expenses. Now they cover less than 30%. Whee. As college costs go up, the state is reducing funding for higher education by millions. I heard that Colorado State University (where a couple of my acquaintences go) are raising out-of-state tuition by 40% next year. I'm not sure that's true, but I wouldn't doubt there is some insane increase.
Private Schools: I can only guess at decreasing endowments due to the economic recession.
Edit: Phanto, I hope you're not implying that students are paying for other students' scholarships. That certainly isn't the case, at least not directly. And I'm not sure many schools are even offering more scholarship money. My school is holding steady at best, I think.
[ May 10, 2004, 10:08 PM: Message edited by: Nato ]
Posts: 1592 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Okay, it's NOT inflation. Tuition prices are rising much faster than inflation. In "real" terms, if tuition were just going up because of inflation, it's not "really" going up at all because your money is just generally worth less.
Posts: 2432 | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
(yeah, inflation makes a bit of difference... if there were no inflation, the increase would be less)
Brown's tuition increases for these reasons (as given to us):
1) Increased pressure to reduce loans and increase grants in scholarships.
2) Building projects: We're currently doing a few huge projects.
3) Endowment changes up and down, sometimes down.
Here's the change for next year (hold onto your hats):
quote:Total undergraduate tuition and fees will rise 4.9 percent to $39,808. That includes tuition of $30,672 (up 5 percent), standard room charges of $5,302 (up 5.4 percent), a standard 20-meal plan of $3,172 (up 3.5 percent), a health fee of $526 (up 3.1 percent), and a student activities fee of $136 (unchanged). Graduate tuition will rise 5 percent.
There's always pressure to improve academic departments by increasing funding, hiring new professors, starting new programs... Local politics in terms of "taxes" play a part in it as well. Even though Brown's a "non-profit," we donate a large amount of money to the city government each year to keep them happy.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
There's inflation, there's skill increase (each professor both "needs" a raise to adjust for inflation, and another to reflect years of experience) combined with factors like professors not retiring as soon (so there are fewer retiring than need to be to keep the cycle stable with new hirees).
Actually, inflation is a huge part of it. Remember that colleges are heavy consumers of many specialized goods, and inflation tends to have a higher effect on the particular mix of goods they consume. For instance, their generator systems consume copious amounts of gasoline, they require large quantities of plastic products (closely linked to oil prices), and also a number of other areas particularly impacted currently. I've dealt quite closely with this issue recently.
Another thing is that to remain competetitive, they need to keep their interest rates on student loans low . . . even lower than an equilibrium market rate. Which means subsidies from other students, which means tuition hikes.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Most of these answers focus on the supply side of the equation - increases in costs. But what about the fact that people (particularly parents) are willing to pay just about anything to go to college?
Why not raise tuition when top students will pay it no matter how high you go?
posted
That only works in theory. About 40% of Brown students receive financial aid through the school.
quote:In practice, the financial aid budget has risen much faster than tuition and fees, averaging about 9 percent annual growth over the last 10 years. Projected annual increases plus the $5-million cost of the new financial aid policy will result in a 53-percent rise in the financial aid budget over the next five years, from $26.8 million in fiscal year 1999 to $41 million in fiscal 2004.
posted
No, I think Tres nailed it. Top universities are able to offer such great financial aid precisely because the fee structure is being made more and more progressive.
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
There is only one reason that the price of anything goes up - because it can. For example:
Gas prices go up a little.
People still buy gas.
Gas prices don't come back down.
Rinse.
Repeat.
College tuition is going the same way of health care costs. Financial aid takes the immediacy out of the process. It is far, far easier to come up with a $50 application fee than to front the obscene $10k per semester that some private schools are charging. "Don't worry, you don't need to pay right now. We know you don't have any money now, but we'll bleed you dry after you get a real job. By the way, you can't get one of those unless you have a paper from us. Have a nice day!" Health care is the same way. It is easier to pay a hundred dollars a month than to front $10k for an operation. Just try getting sick without insurance, though! Of course, if you don't get sick, the insurance companies still get your money.
How many people would be able to go to college if they had to prepay tuition every month? How many people would be able to have surgery if they had to have $10k sitting in their bank accounts just in case they got hurt or sick?
posted
$10k per semester is obscene? Ha! That's the low end of the scale right now. My school charges a bit over $14k a semester (just for tuition, of course).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Sorry. I'm a scientist - an Astonomer, at that - so order of magnitude was good enough for me. I just looked up tuition at the school I work at and it is just above $13k. As you say, this is tuition only...
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