UW-La Crosse is participating in the nationwide tuition
hikes. Recent statistics from the College Board organization explain that the
university is, in fact, in the middle of the road for secondary education costs.
On top of that, UW-L will be experiencing a two-year tuition freeze, perhaps
four years.
As a general figure, the increase in average in-state
tuition nationwide is much less for the 2013-14 academic year than in past
years. Students previously paid 4.5% more in 2012-13, and are now experiencing
a small increase of 2.9%, the lowest percentage increase in the past 30 years.
The median published tuition and fee cost for the 2013-14 school year is
$11,093, including major research campuses. For flagship universities across
the country, tuition rests at both financial extremes. At Penn State, tuition
sits at $17,926 per semester, whereas Wyoming has the lowest tuition and fees,
at $4,404. Currently, UW-L’s tuition is at $8,902 per semester. The estimated
total cost for the average national campus is $16,584 for the 2013-14 year,
with the average public Master’s in-state tuition and fees being $7,750.
The
UW System has 181,000 students at 26 campuses throughout the state. Included in
these 26 educational centers are 13 four-year universities. Comparing UW-L to
the rest of the University of Wisconsin System, tuition and fees are just
slightly higher in-state for UW-L. Excluding UW-Madison, the state average cost
is $7,913, resulting in a difference of over ten percent between UW-L and the
rest of Wisconsin. The state’s tuition and fees have grown on a typical scale.
Over the past five years, the average in-state tuition and fees has increased
at a rate of 25%.
UW-L
freshman Alex Reina explained, “If college tuition continues to increase, my
future plans for getting a good education may be jeopardized. I may not be able
to pay for it if it goes too high, since my parents have a specific amount of
money set aside for me. After that money is used up, paying for college is up
to me personally.”
For
in-state students at leading Ph.D.-granting universities in 19 states, tuition
is actually lower than that for in-state students at UW-L. At the University of
Oklahoma, tuition is currently at $8,705.50, with the next highest other than
UW-L being the University of Maryland at $8,909. UW-L falls between the two.
The University of Wyoming boasts the lowest in-state tuition out of the flagship
universities. For a full year, two semesters of school, students paid a mere
$4,278 in 2012-2013. In comparison, UW-L students were required to pay $4,377
for only one semester of education. In the 2013-14 school year, the University
of Wyoming’s tuition rose just slightly, to $4,404 in-state. Penn State
University has the highest in-state tuition per semester, with tuition and fees
amounting to $17,266 per semester.
Ranked
nationally, the UW System holds the 21st highest tuition, placing it
in the more expensive 50% of the U.S. Wyoming, as expected, has the lowest
average tuition and fees for in-state students. In Wyoming, the average tuition
is $2,432 per semester. To put that number in perspective, the yearly average
tuition for Wyoming amounts to less than $300 over half of UW-L’s cost per
semester. New Hampshire has the highest average tuition and fees in-state, with
the average student paying $14,576.
With
UW System tuition frozen, universities are beginning to consider how student
costs will be rearranged to accommodate the lack of funds. Universities are not
going to neglect to ensure they can maintain daily standards of education.
Therefore, cost shifts will occur throughout the system, since one form of
funding for schools will be no longer available to increase. For example,
increases could occur in housing, food, and other areas, all out of the realm
of the statewide tuition freeze. Students’ tuition may not go up, but that does
not mean other categories of funding will stop their increasing trend.
Junior
Hannah McLean also noted, “My personal concern is having to take out loans for
tuition, since it’s not my out-of-pocket money. After I graduate, I’m going to have
to pay that back, with interest, which can really add up.”
Although
a tuition freeze may appear to help students avoid rising tuition costs, money
will still be siphoned from them to go towards other necessary functions of
campus. However, with Wisconsin and specifically UW-L’s tuition and fees
resting in the middle of two extremes – high and low tuition bills, paying for
college is still a burden that students everywhere face and is not likely to be
minimized any time soon.
