The only Christmas present students can bank on getting from Boston University each year is the annual letter announcing a tuition hike. The $1,470 tuition increase to $28,512 is necessary, but BU could do much more to help students understand why it is necessary.
No one wants to shell out more money for bills not students or the university. But since the school must pay more for everything its students need each year, the students must pay the school more. Running a school in Boston is an expensive operation, as energy and labor costs keep increasing.
The tuition also becomes more understandable in light of available financial aid. BU deserves praise for giving more aid each year to keep scholarships and loans in proportion. This assistance makes BU affordable for many of the students who can’t afford the new overall cost of $37,800. Some families don’t even wince when writing those huge checks, but BU must continue to acknowledge and help those families who do.
The holiday letter from BU attempts to justify the increase with comparative percentages, vague academic descriptions and construction reports. However, a more honest presentation would help students appreciate and better understand tuition increases.
While technically true, the comparative statistics don’t tell the whole story. Even though BU’s 4.9 percent increase will probably be lower than the national average, 4.9 percent of $36,020 is $1,780. BU quickly points out that tuition for this year increased 5.8 percent nationally, but of course doesn’t point out that at the average four-year private institution, this 5.8 percent amounted to an extra $1,001 and brought tuition to an average of $18,273.
BU also focuses on long-term construction projects in the letter. While students and parents may want to know where their money will go, reminders of what they’re getting now would be more effective. Instead of using vague phrases like ‘vibrant programs of academic excellence,’ the school could use the same concrete evidence it uses to promote its physical endeavors. Tell students what some of their famous professors are doing or focus on some of the strongest programs.
Similarly, hard facts about BU’s finances could help students understand why they pay so much. Along with explaining that it costs more than $1 billion to run the school, a few facts could help put things in perspective. For example, including the cost of lighting the Student Village or putting toilet paper in the College of Arts and Sciences would let students know where some of their money goes.
Tuition will inevitably go up every year. As long as BU makes every effort to minimize these hikes and their effects, students have no valid reasons to oppose them. But students will oppose them unless they can understand why they happen, and understanding won’t happen unless BU becomes more open about its finances.
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