Economy, high costs drive up tuition bills

During the past several years, UNC-system students have not been alone in handing over more cash for their education.

In what is emerging as a national trend, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is considering a 10 percent tuition hike next year, which would amount to $465 more per student.

In-state undergraduates at the University of Virginia next year will face an 8.8 percent increase, or $580, while out-of-state students will see hikes of 6.2 percent, or $1,400. Students in Texas state schools face an average tuition increase of 5 percent.

The rising costs, in many cases, are the effect of struggling state economies. Legislatures often are unable to fund public colleges adequately, especially because universities often take a back seat to K-12 funding and rocketing Medicaid costs.

“In most states, there is not a mandate to fund higher education,” said Clara Lovett, president of the American Association of Higher Education. “(It’s) still regarded as a discretionary expense.”

That’s not true in North Carolina, which has a constitutional mandate to keep tuition costs low “as far as practicable.”

State governments often forget the assets a public university brings to society, said Barry Toiv, spokesman for the Association of American Universities.

“Higher education is too often seen as a means of advancement for individuals, and the public benefits are not seen by legislatures,” he said.

Decreasing state funds are not the only factor driving up tuition.

Tom Gluck, director of communications for the Pennsylvania system, said increased enrollment and higher operating costs are pushing up the price of higher education.

Holding tuition at a flat level could hurt universities, he said.

“We’ve sort of reached the limit of what we can do without trying to impact quality,” Gluck said.

Another factor behind rising costs is that students now anticipate more lavish comforts and conveniences on campus, Lovett said.

At the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, for example, students can go to the student union to get a haircut, hang out at a designer coffee shop or get a manicure or pedicure.

“It’s clearly a result of students expecting more choices and better amenities than previous generations,” Lovett said.

Faculty salaries also figure into the equation. Dan Hix, director of finance policy at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, said salaries in his state will increase next year by about 4.2 percent.

But experts said raising faculty salaries helps keep colleges competitive. Some states, including North Carolina, repeatedly have sought funding for increases.

Some university systems also are imposing higher tuition because of changes in policies that hindered them from doing so in the past. Virginia began a frozen tuition policy in 1996 but lifted it in 2002.

Since then, Hix said, Virginia has slowed the pace of increases, which initially jumped to 15 percent annually after the freeze.

Some schools, including North Carolina’s, also have tried to balance increases by routing more money to financial aid programs.

“We’ve offset with grant money the cost for a lot of the students, or at least some of the students,” said Don Davis, associate director of the Office of Student Financial Services at the University of Texas-Austin.

But wherever the money goes, Lovett said, students likely will continue to pay more and more for their degrees.

“It’s definitely a national phenomenon.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.