By Ulises Araiza ’11
THE ROUNDUP
Staying in state for college might not be the bargain it once was.
The Arizona Board of Regents approved a sharp tuition hike ranging from 15.7 to 20.4 percent at all three in-state public universities.
At Arizona State University alone, state funding has been cut by 26 percent or $104 million since 2008, according to ASU News, while the University of Arizona has seen cuts of $100 million in state funds.
For the incoming 2010-2011 school year, tuition for new resident undergraduates at ASU who are not on a tuition commitment has increased 19.8 percent from $6,507 to $7,793, not including mandatory fees and other essential expenses.
NAU faces more than a $30 million budget cut while at the same time receiving an increase of more than 2,000 students, according to the NAU Office of Public Affairs.
University presidents are turning to tuition bills to fill school coffers.
Brophy college counselor Mr. Tom Succow said he believes the tuition increases were unfortunate but necessary.
Brophy students also weighed in on the tuition hike.
“I feel bad for all those people who stay in state for the only reason that it is cheaper and now they not going to have as much of an option,” said senior Antonio Duran ’10.
Senior Thomas Jewett ’10 added that, “now they are raising their tuition even more, making it harder and harder for kids to go to college.”
However, the tuition increases were not unforeseen by all.
“I’m not surprised that there are increases because every college across the country, especially private universities, increases tuition every year by a certain percentage,” said college counselor Mrs. Robin Miller.
So what is one possible consequence of the tuition increases for Brophy students?
“Students actually may find they will receive better offers from out of state colleges through different scholarships, so it actually may be cheaper for students to go out of state than stay in state,” Mrs. Miller said.
Both Mrs. Miller and Mr. Succow agree it is never too early to start looking for college scholarships, although they both acknowledge that it may be a laborious process especially if not starting early.
For more information on college scholarships visit www.fastweb.com or talk to your counselor.