Last Thursday, UR announced its tuition and room and board rates for the 2015-16 academic year. Clocking in at $47,450 for tuition and $14,294 for room and board, UR remains no exception to the ever-increasing costs of American higher education.
Many students probably panicked at these figures, and understandably so—any increase in attendance costs can threaten a student’s ability to continue their education at UR.
Many UR students are strapped for cash, burdened by the current economic climate. The prospect of spending the foreseeable future in the clutches of debt certainly can’t be appealing, either.
And, while President Seligman says that the administration is committed to “keep[ing] the…Rochester education accessible and affordable,” we think it is a bit of a stretch to call our education either of those things. To call UR’s education accessible and affordable doesn’t line up with the reality that most families in the United States cannot simply part with tens of thousands of dollars over the course of four years. President Seligman’s optimism is admirable, but perhaps nave.
Despite seeing an increase in our costs, we must commend the administration for at least taking a step in the right direction; these new rates are the lowest increases in tuition and total costs in the last 40 years.
And, looking at the trend across recent years, it appears that UR is only going to continue to slow the rate of tuition increases.
In another highly commendable move, the College chose to increase its commitment to student financial aid by 5.9 percent. We are happy to see that the school is prepared to improve its aid capabilities in light of the increased costs.
As part of the Peaceful Protest of U of R’s FA System movement, which began last year, reform leaders will be meeting on April 3 with Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jonathan Burdick to discuss changes to the system. We encourage both students and administrators to join the larger conversation about UR’s financial aid system and hope that the administration will continue to reach out to students to address their concerns.
Similarly, we encourage students to attend President Seligman’s semesterly town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on March 31 in the Gowen Room in Wilson Commons.
Everyone who cares about the cost of their education should attend and contribute to the conversation. Hopefully, increased student pressure and dialogue will help decrease future student costs and will be a step toward making college affordable for everyone.
Students and administrators alike are committed to bettering the university; all we can ask for is the good work to continue.
