The cost of tuition at
the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse has risen above the national average. UW-L
tuition is substantially higher than comparable schools. The current UW-L
tuition for in-state students is about $400 more than peer campuses nationally.
Tuition has increased
nationally from an average of $8,256 in 2011-12 to an average of $8,655 in
2012-13, a 4.8% increase, for in-state students, including Ph.D. campuses,
according to the 2012 edition of the College Board Trends in College Pricing.
At UW-L the increase has been larger. The tuition has risen at a rate of 5.2%
from $8,324.24 in 2011-12 to $8,754.48, according to the university’s website.
Tuition is increasing
across the country due to the decrease in funding from the government in the
form of subsidies. In 2002, the government covered 34.93% of UW-L students’
costs and students had to pay 65.07%. Those numbers have grown further apart as
the years have passed. This year, the government will pay only 14.28% of UW-L
students’ costs while students will be paying 85.72%. To put that in other
terms, in 2002, students only had to pay about twice what the government put
towards each student’s education. Today, UW-L students pay over six times what
the government is paying.
A common misconception
would be that students have to carry a larger portion of the college tuition
bill because tuition is rising and the government is putting the same amount of
money towards education each year. While the statement that tuition is rising
is correct, the government isn’t putting the same amount of money into as it
was, percentage-wise or pure dollars-wise. In 2002, the state put $41,031,311
towards UW-L students’ college education. Today, that figure has dropped by
about ten million dollars to $31,120,471. While the state has decreased its
college funding by ten million, the amount paid by students has increased by
over 100 million. In 2002, students contributed $76,420,771. Today that number
has increased to $186,778,903. These numbers have come from the UW-L Budget and
Planning.
The UW-L tuition is
above the average in-state tuition in Wisconsin. UW-L’s $8,754.48 is
significantly higher the $7,779.47 average in-state tuition in Wisconsin of the
other non-Ph.D. granting UW campus schools. The difference is over twelve
percent higher. These numbers come from the universities’ individual websites.
The tuition for
in-state students at UW-L is higher than the tuition for in-state students at
19 states’ flagship, Ph.D. granting universities. UW-L’s tuition of $8,754.48
falls right in between the $8,705.50 in tuition at the University of Oklahoma
and the $8,909 in tuition at the University of Maryland. These numbers come
from the universities’ individual websites.
The flagship university
with the lowest tuition for in-state students is the University of Wyoming.
In-state students at the University of Wyoming pay only $4,278 in tuition for a
year (two semesters). This is less than the $4,377 that in-state students at
UW-L pay for only one semester. The flagship university with the highest
tuition for in-state students is Penn State University. In-state students
enrolled at Penn State pay $17,266 in tuition. These numbers come from the 2012
edition of the College Board trends in college pricing.
The typical UW-L
student is usually surprised when asked about the difference between UW-L
tuition and the tuition of national Ph.D granting schools and other schools in
the UW system. “I’m really surprised that we pay more in tuition than a lot of
those flagship universities,” one UW-L student said. “I knew we paid a bit more
in tuition than some other UW schools, but I had no idea it was over ten
percent above average.”
The Wisconsin system
comes in with the 21st highest tuition, with Ph.D. Granting schools included,
putting them on the more expensive half of the country. The state with the
lowest average in-state tuition is Wyoming. The average tuition paid in Wyoming
is $2,432. That yearly average tuition is less than $300 over half of UW-L’s
semesterly charge. The state with the highest average in-state tuition is New
Hampshire. The average New Hampshire college student pays $14,576 in tuition.
These numbers come from the 2012 edition of the College Board trends in college
pricing.
Over the past five
years, Wisconsin has seen fairly average tuition and fee growth. The average
tuition paid in Wisconsin by in-state students has grown at about 25% over the
past five years. Montana students have seen the least growth in the nation.
Montana students have only had their tuition grow by 5% over the past five years.
Arizona students have suffered from the most severe spike in tuition. Arizona
students have seen tuition grow by 78% in the last five years. These numbers
come from the 2012 edition of the College Board trends in college pricing.
