Local Colleges See Tuition Increases
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2002–Colleges nationwide saw increases in tuition and fees this year, a new study says-and Endicott College and Salem State College are part of that trend.
In a study by the College Board, a nonprofit association that offers students information about higher education, four-year private institutions’ tuition and fees increased by an average of 5.8 percent and four-year public institutions’ costs spiked 9.6 percent from the 2001-2002 academic year to the current year.
Endicott College in Beverly, a private four-year school, increased tuition and fees 5 percent during that period. Its tuition and fees now total about $24,000, but 60 percent of the roughly 2,800 students receive some form of financial aid.
Salem State College in Salem, a four-year public institution, tacked on $900 to its fees this year for the student body of about 7,400, sending the combined total of tuition and fees to about $4,000 for in-state students. That’s an increase of about 30 percent, well above the national average for public colleges.
Because of the state’s budget crisis, Salem State College’s funding was cut back this year, said Jim Glynn, staff associate in the college relations office. “In order to provide the services for the students, we were forced to increase the fees.”
The increase is a consequence of the slow economy, said Karen Cady, director of college relations for Salem State College. But Salem State did not raise tuition this year, only fees. “Basically, the tuition money goes back to the state, and we get appropriations. We do keep the fees.”
According to Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, a shrinking tax revenue base has affected the increase in tuition and fees at public universities. “As tax revenues decline, public colleges have searched for other sources of funding, and for many, that has led to tuition increases,” he said in a statement.
In the academic year 2001-2002, a record $90 billion in student financial aid was available, the College Board said. This is encouraging, Caperton said, but he added that students are relying more on loans than on grants to help pay for their college educations.
According to a College Board news release, in 1991-1992, loans accounted for 47 percent of student aid, compared to 54 percent in 2001-2002. Grants declined from 50 percent to 39 percent of total aid over this period.
Since students at all income levels can obtain unsubsidized loans, financial aid professionals fear that low-income students are having a more difficult time in getting a college education because of the competition.
Pell Grants, federally subsidized loans for low-income students, are available, but at most they cover only 42 percent of the average cost of attending a public four-year institution compared to 84 percent 20 years ago, Caperton said.
For a four-year private institution like Endicott College, with higher costs than public institutions, that puts an added economic strain on students and their families.
“The burden has fallen on institutions and it has fallen on families” to cover the costs of a higher education, said Thomas Redman, vice president of admissions and financial aid at Endicott College.
But students should not feel that a college education is financially unattainable, Caperton said: “No matter what the numbers say, there are still very affordable options for students with a dream for college.”
To try to ease the financial pressure, colleges like Endicott and Salem State offer students options such as scholarships and work-study programs.
But university professionals agree that a higher education is still worth the financial sacrifice.
College graduates can still expect $1 million more over their working lives than their high-school counterparts, Caperton said.
Redman and Cady agreed that the long-term benefits outweigh the high costs.
“It should be deemed a college investment,” Redman said. “It’s simply going to open up doors of opportunity.”
The tuition at Endicott College is used for new residence halls, athletic facilities and upgraded technologies, he said.
“As we increase the value, families better understand where they want their sons and daughters to go to college based on what they want and what they’re willing to spend,” Caperton said.
For Salem State College, a public institution, the lower tuition and costs do not mean less effort on upgrading facilities and creating new ones.
“We’re academically on par with the finest colleges in the state,” Cady said. “An education is really kindergarten through college.”
Published in The Salem News, in Massachusetts.
