Column: Tuition hike unfair to out-of-state students

By Justin Prochaska

Published April 20, 2010

This week, the UM system Board of Curators approved a plan that will increase out-of-state tuition by 5 percent at MU and the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

A similar increase that will take place at other UM system schools in Kansas City and St. Louis will increase out-of-state tuition by 2.7 percent. The plan will also increase the tuition for graduate students.

I am from Texas, so I am directly affected by this new unfair legislation. It isn't OK for out-of-state and graduate students to pay an additional 5 percent, while in-state undergraduates aren't (especially because out-of-state students already pay almost twice as much as in-state students in the first place).

In order to further get around the tuition freeze, various departments and schools in the UM system are going to increase fees in their specific areas. For instance, students enrolled in the Trulaske College of Business will pay $75 per credit hour for the 2010-2011 school year.

The need for additional funds comes from education funding cuts by 5.2 percent from last year. I can see the case of tuition increases if MU education is getting more valuable, but in fact the contrary is true.

Last week, U.S. News and World Report released its annual graduate school ratings, and the MU School of Law dropped nearly 30 places. It was the biggest plunge by any school on the list. UM system President Gary Forsee said the cut of higher education funds is "directly correlated" with the fall in the rankings. Because the school is not able to spend enough on research and various other things, they are going to raise fees in order to make more money.

If those rankings are to be trusted, the education received at the MU School of Law is getting worse (or at least the value of a law degree from MU is declining or staying stagnant while the value of a degree from other schools is increasing). I don't think charging more money will increase the quality. In fact, I would be furious if I was paying more for a degree that is supposedly declining in value.

If things aren't getting better, the university has no business charging more. It doesn't sound like a great return on investment. They should keep tuition stagnant until they can quell the problem. If they need funds, they should attempt to cut losses elsewhere, if possible.

If increasing tuition is the only solution, the university should do it gradually. They shouldn't unload a big increase on us at once. They should add a few dollars onto each hour until it gets to where they want it to be.

The thing is, people aren't making more money, yet the university insists on charging more.

It's hard enough to pay for education as it is, and now my family (and lots of other families across the state and the country) will be forced to pay more money we aren't making.

I'm fighting an uphill battle here. I guess we'll have to find other ways to make money. How much do you think I could get for my kidney?