Times - and wallets - are tight as ever. Still, West Virginia families will have to shell out even more money this fall when college students head back to campus. Â
Officials at 12 of the state’s public colleges and universities – all offering at least some four-year degrees – have increased tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year, according to data released by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.
Four schools – Concord, Glenville State, West Liberty and WVU-Parkersburg – increased tuition costs by at least 8.6 percent for resident undergraduates.
By comparison, Fairmont State and West Virginia State hiked tuition costs by 3.08 and 3.99 percent, respectively, for resident undergraduates. Still, a year’s tuition and fees at Fairmont State, at $4,952, costs more than four of the other schools. Concord, at $4,974 a year, is the exception.
For resident undergraduates, West Virginia University begs the highest yearly tuition, at $5,304 per year, while WVU-Parkersburg and WVU’s Potomac State College, at $2,845 and $2,886, will cost the least per year. The latter two schools offer a mix of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees with some two-year and some four-year programs.
Officials at both WVU and Marshall, who raised tuition 4 percent and 6.90 percent, respectively, were criticized for announcing their tuition increases so late in the spring.Â
Students in almost all graduate and professional schools face similar tuition and fee increases across the board.Â
In-state students, however, will pay about $475 less in tuition this fall at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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This is all thanks to the Promise Scholarship: When you no longer have to compete for students, you can raise rates to coincide with the “free-ride money”.
According to Marshall University’s website, their tuition for fall 2009 is $2,668 per semester or $5,336 per year for an undergraduate WV resident. This differs from the amount you have listed in your chart.
This is good news for students, but we all know that tuition costs are unreasonably high right now. Anyone who has ever taken out a loan to help pay for the cost of school knows how much it just hangs over you for years after. That’s why I am also heartened by news that there may be a change in loan policy in the future to reduce the stress put on students. More here: http://thestimulist.com/the-new-rational-student-loan-payment-plan/
It is crazy to make college cost so much. We need all the college graduates in health and the sciences as we can get, and here these institutions are doing what they can to make it impossible. It may be OK to make tuition for some colleges, theater and football for example, as high as the traffic will bear; but for health and the sciences, keep the tuition affordable for any student who is smart enough to do the work.
I blame Brian Noland for not keeping his promise of alleged affordability and accessibility…….
Thanks to all for reading. Wanted to follow up on BT’s point about Marshall’s tuition. We double checked with Lalena Price at Marshall, who let us know that a resident undergraduate’s tuition and fees at Marshall is now $2,618 per semester and $5,236 for the year. Not sure if the difference is a typo or if there’s some other discrepancy.