Breaking down national tuition, fee increases
Although MU tuition is frozen, fees increase for 2010-2011 academic year.
Published Dec. 4, 2009
"Shame on you, shame on you," California college students protested and chanted at UCLA this month, reacting to a 32 percent increase in their student fees.
Although other college students might not be protesting as loudly, the University of California system fee hike is part of a larger national trend. Undergraduate student fees and tuition increased an average of 6.3 percent nationally in the last academic year. In the last four years, fees and tuition have increased an average of 29 percent.
Compared to the national 29 percent increase, MU tuition and required student fees hit below the average percentage change during the last four years, coming in at 19.3 percent.
MU students haven't been affected as hard as other universities, but they've still been affected. There's no telling whether these continued increases would subside with the economy now faring better.
Gov. Jay Nixon's agreement with major Missouri school leaders secured Missouri college tuition will again be frozen for the 2010-2011 academic year. This means students will pay the same tuition as they would have during the 2008-2009 academic year, after which the freeze was first implemented.
Students might still see some change in the amount of money they pay for school. The freeze affects tuition but not student fees or room and board.
Although about a third of students pay room and board for on-campus housing, all students are required to pay student fees.
Student fees are part of all students' bills from MU. They cover a variety of campus facilities and services, including the Student Recreation Complex and MizzouWireless. Fees are determined and approved by a variety of administrative bodies, but a student group actually holds the most influence over initiating the process.
The Student Fee Review Committee is composed of both graduate and undergraduate students and has the power to start the process of increasing, decreasing or creating any student fee.
SFRC Vice Chairman Matt Sheppard said the group members act as representatives for their peers.
"The university can't really go to every single student," Sheppard said. "So they come to our committee, made up of students who are fairly involved and have a really good idea of what's going on, and we can kind of speak up for the entire student body."
One integral part of the idea of student fees is everyone pays for everything. MSA Vice President Colleen Hoffmann said the student fee is beneficial in this way.
"Depending on the kind of student you are, the kind of things you're involved in, you might see more benefit from one area personally," Hoffmann said.
Regardless of whether a student goes to the Student Recreation Complex 10 times a week or has never stepped foot in the building, he or she pays the same amount of money for it.
"The combination of those fees allows one student to use the Student Recreation Complex and someone else to go to a different activity or utilize a different service," MU spokesman Christian Basi said. "It allows everyone to participate in the activities of their choices. Without those fees, we would not be able to have any of these activities or services."