Across the nation, colleges and universities are raising their tuition at staggering rates; a quick Google search of “tuition increase” and scroll through the News section will show that. Virginia Tech is considering a 2.9 percent increase on top of their 2.9 percent increase from the previous year. Yale has been increasing its cost of attendance by nearly 4 percent every year for the last decade, with an increase of over $3k for next year. Louisiana State University will increase by almost $1k for in-state students and over $2k for out-of-state students. And Wellesley University will see a 4.8 percent increase next year, raising total cost by a little over $8k in one year.
Eastern will raise its total cost by 3.95 percent next year, which is about $2k for the whole year ($1k per semester). However, while the increases have been an undesirable need, Eastern is doing its best to alleviate the cost that students pay. While this is difficult news for many, Eastern Provost Dr. Kenton Sparks helped shed some light on the issue.
“Pricing for students is a matter of justice,” Sparks said. “The fact that over the last few years we’ve kept tuition increases well below aggregate inflation is evidence that we’re committed to doing everything we can to slow down the effects on our students. When inflation pushed over 8% a few years ago, we didn’t even consider just passing that on to our students… To be honest, there’s no way to make on-campus study “inexpensive” because a campus and campus services cost a lot of money. But… we’re trying.”
While navigating rising costs each year may seem like an untenable situation for many, it’s how Eastern is trying to keep incoming and overall costs as low as possible for students. After all, it’s easier to work with financial aid and/or get an on-campus job once you make it on campus.
“You may have heard that some institutions have introduced four-year balanced pricing so that the costs for students do not increase during a four-year course of study,” Sparks said. “This sounds good, of course, but they achieve this by charging higher rates in year 1 that are then repeated for each year of study. Eastern has elected to manage pricing year-by-year because we believe this will more likely result in lower costs for students.”
At the end of the day, despite the tuition increases, Eastern is fighting to keep our tuition as low as possible, and one of the best ways we can help is by continuing to be Eastern Eagles.
“In principle, student success and retention result in higher University income and a lower need for tuition increases,” Sparks said. “Sounds basic, I suppose, but keeping the campus environment neat and clean and friendly can improve those results. Inviting friends to apply and study at EU can also help with this.
“Please know that we do realize that higher tuition costs will create hardships for some students,” he continued. “I can’t tell you how much we wish these increases were unnecessary, but, as I’ve said, they are inevitable.”
If you are struggling with the higher cost for the upcoming year, you should talk to your advisor and/or the financial aid office for assistance. Eastern offers many work opportunities and repayment options, and planning ahead of time can make securing these options more feasible. Eastern also keeps a list of current outside scholarships, jobs on campus, and part-time jobs in the local area on its website. And, if you haven’t already, you should file the FAFSA to be eligible for government aid, loans, and federal work study for the upcoming year.
Sources: Eastern University website, Reveille, The Wellesley News, WDBJ7, Yale Daily News
Josh Steen 
Hannah Gerber