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|"University Tuition"
Published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on August 21, 2004
By James D. Spaniolo
It's no secret that the cost of college is on the rise. Since last year, tuition and fees have increased an average of 13.9 percent at four-year public institutions around the country. Nearly every college and university is charging more than it did last year.
But that doesn't mean students are paying more. A recent study by USA Today shows the total cost of attending public universities has actually decreased by nearly a third since 1997-98 because of the increased availability of need-based grants and scholarships.
Perhaps this is why students nationwide are enrolling in record numbers. Students and their parents know college graduates earn $1 million more in their lifetime, or roughly $28,000 per year, than workers who have only a high school diploma. For a graduate degree, that number triples. An education is an investment that will pay handsomely for a lifetime.
UTA students understand the need for the increase. In fact, the tuition increase was recommended by a campus tuition review committee with a majority of students and chaired by a student. Students understand the quality of their educational experience hinges on universities' ability to attract and retain the strongest faculty to teach them.
Tuition and fees for most in-state undergraduates at U.T. Arlington is $5,300 per year, based on a 15-credit schedule. That's a modest increase compared to previous semesters but still well below comparable universities in Texas and nationwide.
The increases came with an understanding: We'll pay more if provide more. This means recruit new faculty to meet growing enrollments. (We hired 45 new faculty members for the fall semester.) It means retaining a portion of the increases in tuition as financial aid for students. It means innovative measures like UTA's plan that has rebated $1.3 million to those who simply pay their tuition bills on time.
Many UTA students' expenses aren't much higher than before. Many receive financial aid in the form of grants, tax credits, fellowships, or scholarships from the government or the university. In fact, the amount of money coming from government-issue Pell grants has doubled since 1998. More students are now funding school with gift money instead of loans, though interest rates are also at an all-time low.
A look at two typical UTA students illustrates this truth.
As a junior in 2003-04, one accounting major qualified for $9,952 in total aid-much of it in grant monies-to cover tuition, housing, books, and other expenses. Then, when tuition prices rose, the same student qualified for $10,963 as a senior. An architecture senior also saw an increase in grant and work-study monies that, when combined with scholarships, eclipsed her amount due by almost $900.
Still U.T. Arlington students, like students everywhere, need help paying for college. Almost 27 percent of undergraduates here qualify for need-based financial aid, of which the university distributes almost $35 million every year. Because of such aid, the average UTA student pays less than three-quarters of his or her original bill.
Those who aren't paying less up-front can get some of their money back. More than six million families qualified for tuition credits that reduced taxes by an average of $1,350 per return, and another 3.5 million received a deduction that saved an average of $325 in income taxes.
Texas also provides a significant price break for residency. In-state residents receive much lower tuition rates and are exempt from certain fees. The legislature also wisely enacted the Texas B-On-Time Loan program, which means students who graduate on time and maintain a 3.0 grade average don't have to pay back money they borrow.
The myth that students can't afford to go to college is just that-a myth. The real truth is that they can't afford not to.
James D. Spaniolo is the president of The University of Texas at Arlington.
