Before students begin to worry about homework, tests and term papers, there is another, perhaps more pressing, issue students must deal with — tuition.
According to statistics provided by the U, $142 million was earned from tuition and student fees during the 2005-2006 school year. For a resident undergraduate student enrolled for two semesters with a 15-hour course load, the average cost of tuition was $4,700. For non-resident students taking a similar load, the average tuition bill jumped to $14,600.
As tuition gradually rises, students might question how their money is being spent. Paul Brinkman, associate vice president for budget and planning, said the cost of tuition will likely increase in the future due to factors such as inflation.
According to Brinkman, tuition increases usually coincide with statistics from the Consumer Price Index. The Consumer Price Index program, which is performed by the U.S. Department of Labor, produces a monthly report regarding price changes paid by consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. As the price of those goods and services increases, tuition prices must increase to compensate.
“We’re not able to buy more, we’re just able to buy as much,” Brinkman said.
In addition to tuition, students also pay 11 mandatory fees. For a student taking a 15-hour course load, the most expensive fees include a computing fee, $106; a building fee, $89; and an athletic fee, $56.
Mike Rose, an undeclared freshman, said he’s not too concerned if he doesn’t use everything his fees are paying for.
“It’s not a big deal. I figure I’m helping someone else out,” Rose said.
Even though some students have no qualms about paying fees for things they don’t use, the argument ‘let those who use the amenities pay for them’ is commonly heard by administrators.
“It’s sort of like a tax that we all pay to the government,” Brinkman said. “The tax?allows some real money to be earned. If we restricted it just to those students who used a particular thing, we would be in a very different situation and prices of things would be quite high.”
Not all fees are the result of inflation or departments needing more money. Several fee increases have been the result of student petitioning. After students furthered their cause for almost two years, the Utah Board of Regents approved a $1 increase in 2004 for the fuel and power fee in order to purchase more electricity generated through wind power. Last spring, a mass e-mail was sent to students asking if they favored an increase for fine arts and a fee to create a study abroad scholarship program. Close to 8,000 students responded, resulting in a $1.50 increase for fine arts — less than the originally proposed $5 increase — and the elimination of the proposed study abroad fee due to lack of student interest.