The Cost of College: Fall 2012

Edited 9 May 2012, 12:48am
 
It's enrollment time again at San Francisco State University, and I am deeply concerned about the continuing rise in tuition and how it affects my overall cost of going to one of the Bay Area's more renowned universities.

Although not as prestigious as UC Berkeley or Stanford, San Francisco State University has a good Urban Studies and Planning program. However, it is only offered at the undergraduate level only, and in line with the CSU requirements, I am required to take a physical science subject with a lab component to graduate (e.g. Biology, Geography). However, with most of the units available to me are four units because I've used up nearly all my three-unit subjects in the lower division, finding three-unit subjects in the upper division can be daunting since what's offered are mostly subjects in a particular major, not anymore generalist subjects. What's worse, the increasing tuition has already been causing concerns for my family, in that as a comparison between Fall 2010 and Fall 2012, tuition rates have gone up by $660. In detail, comparing what I pay for six units (equivalent to two 3-unit subjects), note the difference in just two years:

Fall 2010 costs:

First tuition payment (includes university fees and per-unit fee for non-residents): $2,303

Second and third tuition payments: $1,711.20

Total: $4,014.20

Fall 2012 estimates:

First tuition payment (includes university fees and per-unit fee for non-residents): $2,963

Second and third tuition payments: $1,711.20

Total: $4,674.20

Calculating the difference between the two years, the same tuition to enroll in six units has jumped by 22%.

If I calculate the cost of enrolling with eight units (two 4-unit subjects), the price becomes way beyond the two figures, in that:

Fall 2012 estimates:

First tuition payment (includes university fees and per-unit fee for non-residents): $4,461

Second and third tuition payments: $2,281.60

Total: $6,742.60

Estimating the cost difference, adding just two more units (2012 estimates) causes my tuition bill to rise by nearly 31%. And the first payments are just estimates for this semester; it does not account for books, food, or commute throughout the semester.

See the non-resident agreement form here

I think that education is a great force to reduce poverty, cut down recidivism, and improve one's life and stature in society. However, the unending rise in tuition has caused many students and families to back off from higher tuition rates; in many cases, students simply get more student loans to cover the costs of college. With the bad shape of the economy, scholarships are becoming more competitive than ever, receiving even more entries but with limited funds available to support such students of real need. I think that paying higher tuition fees need some sort of pay-offs too: better college facilities, more teachers and staff members to be hired, and more classes available for students. And yet, the state and federal government have been hesitant to raise funding for education, resorting instead to political bickering and rhetoric.

I am deeply frustrated with rising tuition costs without any real benefits. Should you be involved in a move to curb tuition costs and focus on quality education, not funding executives' wallets?