The cost of in-state tuition and fees has increased 35 percent at public colleges across the nation during the past five years.In-state tuition at MSU this year cost $2,298 per semester, and out-of-state tuition cost $5,276 per semester, director of student financial aid Bruce Crain said. These figures increased 5 percent from last year, about $142.
The main reason for the ever-growing tuition is increased costs, assistant vice president for student affairs Bill Broyles said.
“The price of utilities gets higher each year,” Broyles said. “There are also faculty pay raises and other operative expenses that must be taken care of.”
Broyles said the university is funded through state appropriations and tuition.
To keep MSU up to date, it is inevitable that costs will rise each year, Crain said.
“If we want to keep the institution on this level, we have no choice but to raise costs,” he said.
MSU works with the federal government to provide students with the adequate financial aid opportunities to attend the school, Crain said. About 70 percent of MSU students receive financial aid or scholarships of some sort.
“There are three types of financial aid programs offered to students at MSU,” Crain said, “Grant programs and work-study programs are need based, and Stafford loans have a higher interest rate.”
Along with federally funded financial aid, MSU offers state-funded financial aid programs such as the MTAG.
Students who receive financial aid or scholarships must maintain a minimum level of academic achievement to keep their financial aid status, Crain said. For example, some financial aid programs may require students to maintain a certain GPA or academic standing.
“Students must be willing to cooperate with what is expected of them by the federal government and the university,” he said.
The financial aid office, located in Garner Hall, does several things to inform prospective students of all of the financial aid opportunities available, Crain said. The office offers information on the MSU Web site, provides printed information and sends representatives to high schools and community colleges. It also offers counseling in Garner Hall.
“I believe that MSU does a better job at spreading the word than other colleges in the state,” Crain said.
Junior biology major Norman Foskey said the yearly tuition increase does not bother him because his parents support him financially.
“Tuition costs at MSU are fair for students to pay because it isn’t nearly as expensive to go to school here as it would be at many other colleges,” Foskey said.
Even though he did not apply for financial aid or scholarships, Foskey said the school did a good job of informing him of the different financial aid opportunities available.
Senior industrial engineering major Chase Saunders said that when he was an incoming freshman at MSU, he was not aware of all the possible financial aid opportunities.
He thinks the costs of tuition are realistic and that the increase is understandable, he said.
“If students don’t want to pay this much for tuition, they have the choice to go to community college instead,” he said.