Most students will pay more money toward housing and fees starting this summer, even though tuition will stay the same for the fourth consecutive year.
The general university fee will increase by $10 per credit hour, making it $125 per hour, President Robert Henry wrote in an Oct. 27 email to the campus community.
He also wrote that housing rates will increase by 10 percent for renovated doubles and triples in Walker, Banning and Draper halls. Meal plans and efficiency rooms in Cokesbury Court also will increase.
See Page 1 for more on increased fees.
Though the lack of tuition increase sounds like a positive for students’ and parents’ wallets, the higher fees will affect everyone. Since most scholarships cover tuition and not fees, students will pay more out of pocket.
This means the constant tuition is no longer a benefit or advantage to students. Instead it’s something university officials can boast about, despite still billing students more.
“Fees nationwide continue to increase even faster than tuition–often covering the same thing but letting institutions claim tuition hikes are slowing,” according to The Atlantic.
Jason Reinoehl, University of Dayton’s vice president for strategic enrollment management, told The Atlantic that graduating students especially feel ticked off and “nickel-and-dimed” during a time which should be a celebratory time.
Rates for Cokesbury efficiency rooms will increase 1 percent, which seems like a small increase. But, for students, this means an additional $50 per semester to what they already pay.
While $50 may not seem like a big deal in the long run, most college students cherish every penny. Fifty dollars could purchase seven Chick-fil-A combo meals or fund tickets to both mainstage shows in the music and theater schools.
The money from the increased fees will go toward housing, technology and the Aduddell Fitness Center. It’s good that university officials are prioritizing services students often complain about, but students don’t want to pay for things like better Wi-Fi when it is already expected from a college campus.
Not to mention that meal plan costs were the same this semester as in previous years, even though we have less options than before. Now students will have to pay 6 percent more for less food.
When it comes to financial matters with the university, many students want transparency. Hiding fee increases behind the attractive facade of a fixed tuition rate is the opposite of that.
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