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Posts Tagged ‘college fees’

UCLA Students Face Massive 32 Percent Fee Hike

November 23rd, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in College News

The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has approved a massive 32% fee hike that will add $2500 to the cost of education, pushing tuition above the $10,000 mark. While still relatively inexpensive when compared to other state university systems, UCLA students have witnessed a three-fold increase in costs over the past decade alone.

Public Ivy

piggy bankThe University of California system is rated as one of the best in the country, with six of its ten campuses considered to be public ivies – including UCLA – a distinction which means students at those schools receive an Ivy League equivalent education for a state university price.

The sharp rise in college costs comes as the California university system contends with an $813 million budget cut brought on by monumental cutbacks to the state budget. California, like the rest of the nation, has been working its way through a sharp economic decline. Unlike most of the rest of the nation, the state’s tax levels are astronomically high with politicians bitterly divided on how to handle the crisis.

UC Regents

A meeting by the University of California Board of Regents was protested by more than two thousand students outside of Campbell Hall, who banged on drums and skirmished with police. Three hours after the votes were cast passing along a 15% mid-year increase and the subsequent 32% increase effective next fall, the last of the board regents was able to leave the area under heavy police escort.

California’s university system has been problem plagued for years, offering free tuition to almost seventy percent of its students who qualify. About thirty percent or 53,000 students across the university system qualify, people whose families earn less than $70,000 per year. Of course, generous aid taxes the system, something the regents are not planning to change.

More Hikes

Other UC schools are expecting to pass along big increases following the UCLA move. Across the country, many other state colleges and universities are considering doing the same in a bid to make up for budget short falls and cover rising expenditures.

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What You Should Know About Distant Learning

March 9th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Academics, Advanced Education

Distant learning has been in place for generations, first known as “mail correspondence schools” before largely giving way to much more sophisticated university learning. I recall those days when you opened up a matchbook and found advertising for a certificate program that could be completed anywhere as long as you had access to a stamp and a mailbox.

collegeIn addition, actress Sally Struthers (All In The Family) was a spokesperson for the International Correspondence School (ICS) for a number of years, a home study course offered by the Pennsylvania Colliery Engineer School of Mines. Founded in 1890, the ICS was a pioneer in distant learning.

Degrees Conferred To Students Globally

Today, students can take courses from all over the world and receive bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees by doing the bulk of their work away from campus. Mail order schools still exist, but the majority of the distant learning today is provided by accredited schools, colleges and universities through online computer access.

The University of Phoenix is a leader in contemporary distant learning, having gotten its start before the rise of the internet in the middle 1990s. Today, the university boasts of hundreds of thousands of students taking their courses from every state in the union and from scores of countries spanning the globe. Their business model has been emulated by tens of other colleges and universities while also forcing “brick and mortar” schools to offer the same educational options.

What You Should Personally Consider

Before choosing an online degree program, you’ll want to know if the school is accredited, how their entrance requirements compare to traditional schools, whether you’ll be required to set foot on campus to take a course or a test, and whether an online degree is considered to be different from a degree earned by taking on campus classes. With the latter, you’ll want to be certain that no distinction is made on the diploma or in the college’s promotional material.

For online learning, your education costs should be the same minus room, board, travel expenses and perhaps some fees. You won’t be able to connect with your professor or classmates face to face, but many schools now bring people together through internet groups and Facebook access.

Distant Learning And You

Is distant learning right for you? It could be, especially if learning from afar is the only way you can obtain a degree. Balancing work, family, personal responsibilities and learning is challenging enough, but at least with distant learning you can set your own schedule and study at a pace that suits your lifestyle.


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California Students Protest Spending Cuts

April 25th, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | No Comments | Filed in College News

University California Irvine

This past Monday, approximately 2000 students protested across the state of California against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s call for a 10% across-the-board reduction in state spending, an effort he says is to balance the state’s budget. With a projected deficit of $14 billion in 2009, the governor’s initiative would require that the University of California, California State University, and the California Community College system reduce their spending while increasing student fees.

The rallies were held in Sacramento at the state capitol building, in Los Angeles at Pershing Square, and in San Francisco, San Diego, and Humboldt County. With about 1500 protesters in attendance, the Sacramento rally was by far the largest, and the loudest.

Fees have nearly doubled in the past six years for students in the UC and CSU systems, with additional increases expected to cover costs. Californians have long been accustomed to paying some of the lowest rates for higher education in the country, but the state’s ability to keep increases in check have been hampered by the financial deficit. Revenue (taxes) in the state continue to fall short of projections.

Monday’s demonstrators are planning to resume their protesting on May 14 when the UC Board of Regents meets in Los Angeles to consider raising tuition. In addition, demonstrators are also planning to return to the Capitol in Sacramento on May 19th to hold a “study-in” protest.

Tuition and fees at many of California’s state-backed institutions have tripled since 1990.

(Source: SFGate.com)

Visit OffToCollege for free college planning guides and to obtain financial aid information.

Photo Credit: AllyUnion, Wikipedia


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How Expensive Is Your College?

January 2nd, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in College News

If you are in college or planning to attend college in the next year or two, then you are Moneyprobably aware just how expensive higher education has become. Even with scholarships, grant money, and savings factored in costs can far exceed your ability to cover this expense. Although your school may be pricey, how does it compare with the top charging colleges and universities across the US?

The following list, which was published by Forbes magazine nearly a year ago shows how much college is costing some families. The updated list is due out in a few weeks, but for now we know the following:

1. George Washington University — The DC school finished tops with tuition alone nearing $38,000 annually. I was surprised that GW was the most expensive, let alone in the top ten. I had each of the Ivies and private schools such as Amherst and Duke up there.

2. University of Richmond — Another surprise on the list, Richmond comes in just a shade below GW. However, with tuition increasing 84% in a 7-year period, it looks like a new number one will soon be recognized.

3. Sarah Lawrence College — This private, liberal arts college in Bronxville, NY is no surprise to the list. At one time SLC was the most expensive college but tuition is now about $1800 less than GW.

4. Kenyon College — Located 45 miles outside of Columbus, OH in Gambier, this college of 1700 students finished a few dollars behind SLC.

5. Vassar College — Once one of the “seven sisters” to the Ivy Colleges, co-ed Vassar is the most expensive of the lot with tuition of $36,020 per year. The school is located in Poughkeepsie, NY.

6. Bucknell University — Lewisburg, PA is the home for Bucknell, a school where only one in ten applicants attends.

7. Bennington College — With less than 600 undergrads in attendance, Bennington offers an intimate atmosphere to go with its bucolic setting and high price.

8. Columbia University — One and only one Ivy school made the list, with Columbia students pay just over $35,000 annually. A New York City location likely adds to the cost, despite a huge endowment fund.

9. Wesleyan University — The Middletown, CT school is expanding and recruiting heavily outside of its New England base.

10. Trinity College — One one in ten applicants attends Trinity, located on a suburban type campus in Hartford, CT.

As you may have surmised, all ten colleges have one thing in common — they are located in the northeastern US. Sure, you could make a case for Richmond or George Washington not being in the northeast, but they are still in part of a high-priced geographical territory when it comes to higher education.

Oh, by the way — board and other expenses were not included, adding as much as ten thousand dollars annually to tuition costs.


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