Only two weeks remain in the four-year tuition freeze for schools in the Oregon University System. Fall term 2001 is 16 weeks away, and students may then see a tuition increase at the University.
But students who attend classes this summer will get a taste of what is to come.
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education approved tuition increases for seven Oregon schools in December. This will make tuition at the University cost from 3 to almost 6 percent more than last year.
Loren Stubbert, director of campus budget services for the Oregon University System, said the increases were modest compared to revenues for the seven schools. He said it is in response to inflation and takes into account technology and health fees.
In the 2000 summer session, undergraduate residents paid $1,096 for 12 credit hours. In 2001, that will increase to $1,12′, or 2.9 percent higher than the year before. Non-residents paid $1,540 in 2000, and will see a 4.4 percent increase in 2001, making tuition $1,60′.
Stubbert added that the increases were also made to bring summer tuition into line with costs for the three traditional academic terms.
Graduate students will also see a rise in their tuition come summer.
Oregon residents, based on nine credit hours, paid $1,311 in 2000 for graduate school, but will pay $1,373 in 2001, an increase of 4.7 percent. Non-residents will pay $1,733 in 2001, up 5.4 percent from the $1,644 paid in 2000.
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Anne Leavitt said she is always concerned when there is an increase in tuition, but she is not surprised it has risen for the summer term.
“It’s always been more expensive to go to summer school,” she said. “The summer session has to balance [revenue] and I’m not concerned as if it’s the regular academic year.”
She said the summer term normally gets a different mix of students, including those who are returning to school after taking time off from academic life and even instructors and professors who want to further their teaching ability.
Leavitt said no one should be surprised by the increase because the summer catalog is distributed early, allowing for students to find out in advance.
But, she said, that does not mean all students will be able to afford the increases.
“It’s always a challenge to figure out how to get the costs covered,” she said.
Ronald Trebon, director of the summer session at the University, agreed with Leavitt and said tuition increases inevitably lead to discussions about who can and who cannot afford the cost of classes.
“Access is always a concern when we talk about tuition,” he said.
He said the increase has not affected enrollment, as there has been an increase of 450 students than at the same time last year.
Sophomore Sam Berg said he is worried about the increase, but will still attend the summer session because he needs the credits.
“I don’t want them to raise it because it’s already unaffordable for people as it is,” he said. “[But] I need something to do over the summer.”
Not all students are worried about the tuition increase.
Senior Brian Beck, who has attended three summer terms while enrolled at the University and Western Oregon University, said he does not see the increase as something to worry about.
“I don’t really mind that they’re raising it for summer school because summer school is a crucial time for students,” he said.
Beck said he does not believe the increase will hurt any of the students in attendance during the summer because the importance of credits often outweighs the price paid for them. But, he added, it is also in the best interest of the University.
“It’s a good way to make money from a University standpoint,” he said.