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Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 2:00 p.m.

MBA tuition hike takes some students by surprise

by The GW Hatchet

The GW School of Business, housed in Duques Hall, raised tuition 4.4 percent for returning students this year, slightly higher than last year’s increase. Students say they were kept in the dark about the increase. Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Aliya Karim.

Business school graduate students are disputing the $1,000 added to their tuition bills this fall, claiming the extra charge came without notice.

An additional $55 per-credit-hour fee was not included in a cost estimate handed out by the Global MBA Program last spring. The estimate, which brought tuition for the two-year program up to $123,085, pronounced the costs “subject to change,” but several students said they were unaware such a change had actually been made.

The Board of Trustees announced the tuition hike in February, but because the 4.4 percent increase is “within the range of the annual increase, [students] learn the rates through the university offices,” Dean Doug Guthrie said in an email.

The increase is also consistent with rates raised by many other business schools across the country. Last year, the business school raised tuition 3.5 percent for returning students.

Shashwat Gautam, a second-year MBA student who mortgages his home in India from the U.S., said he first found out about the increase when his tuition bill was emailed to students this month. He said the extra $1,100 he will owe the school this year will strain his already tight budget, because he applied for student loans using the previous tuition estimate.

“For middle class families from India and different parts of the world, it’s going to mean a lot,” said Gautam, the business school’s graduate representative for the Student Association. “We could’ve planned it better if we had an idea of it.”

Gautam, also the vice chair of SA’s academic affairs committee, said he is pushing the SA to lobby administrators to roll back the costs.

University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said tuition information is posted on both the University’s graduate enrollment and Colonial Central websites, but that details are not emailed to students because costs differ based on course load. “In addition, students applying for financial aid should be aware of tuition information well in advance,” she said in an email.

Associate Dean for MBA Programs Liesl Riddle sent an email to business graduate students addressing “tuition confusion and clarification” following The Hatchet’s inquiry into the school’s tuition bump.

She said in the email that the 4.4 percent increase falls within the standard practice of a 4 to 6 percent rise between a student’s first and second year, and maintained that the added tuition revenue would go toward expanding programming.

“Admissions sent you an estimated cost of attendance for the entire program when you enrolled and noted that second year tuition was an estimate that would likely change. In addition, the university posts the new rates in late spring for your review,” Riddle wrote.

Allan Simonds, a second-year MBA student, called the email “defensive and condescending,” and said it still did not clarify how the school would use the extra tuition money. “The email really pits the administration against the student body,” Simonds said.

The 4.4 percent increase is “not out of sync with general increases that we’re seeing in North America,” said Dan LeClair, the chief operating officer of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He said schools might increase tuition for course and curriculum improvement, global expansions, student engagement in the classroom and improved reputations.

Guthrie said in an email that the MBA tuition remained far below neighboring Georgetown University and University of Maryland, and a small increase in tuition would help pay for more student aid and programs, but did not specify which.

“If we want to have programs and student services that compare to those schools, we need also to have the resources that make us competitive,” Guthrie said.

Incoming MBA students will also face a 8.7 percent higher tuition than last year’s students, the steepest climb in an across-the-board tuition increase for graduate programs. New doctoral students in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Education and Human Development and masters students in the Elliott School of International Affairs will see an 8.5 percent increase in tuition.

In addition to the extra tuition revenue, the business school is also receiving $9.4 million in cash from GW through 2014 – the largest investment in the history of the school.

Business school administrators have been busy both in D.C. and China in the past year, linking MBA students in planning the District’s economic development plan and opening up master’s programs in Suzhou. The business school also added four online graduate programs this summer.

“I do think and hope the extra money will go to benefit students and the school, and especially to increase our rankings,” Neha Shah, a second-year MBA student, said. “I also don’t realistically expect that I will personally get to enjoy these benefits in my last year as a student.”

The business school’s graduate program fell five spots to No. 57 in the U.S. News and World Report ranking in March.

Business students have soured on administrators’ communication effectiveness in the past. In Bloomberg Businessweek’s survey of undergraduate business students, many at GW cited issues of communication for administrators as one of the school’s problems.

“There are bright spots, but they have a long way to go,” Simonds said. “They should begin with better communication, more transparency and less squandering of money.”

- Cory Weinberg contributed to this report.

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Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 12:45 p.m.

Board raises tuition by 3.7 percent

by Chelsea Radler
President Stephen Knapp

Managing the rate by which tuition increases is a priority of University President Steven Knapp. Hatchet File Photo

Updated Feb. 10, 12:51 p.m.

The University’s highest governing body unanimously approved a 3.7-percent tuition hike Friday, raising next year’s tuition cost by $1,632.

Tuition and fees will stand at $45,780 for all incoming freshmen and undergraduate transfer students during the 2012 to 2013 academic year.

The increase falls in line with a four-year trend of increasing tuition by about 3 percent annually – reflecting University President Steven Knapp’s goal to shake off GW’s reputation as the nation’s most expensive college. Last year, tuition rose by 2.9 percent.

Knapp said the slightly larger increase will fund staff expansions in the University’s revamped career services as well as financial aid.

“We are making some investments with the new revenue. Of course we’ll continue to develop our academic programs, but also we’re making some new investments in student life and career services,” Knapp said. “We think that’s really important for adding value to our undergraduate student experience here.”

Tuition and fees stood at $44,148 this academic year – about $4,900 more than where they stood five years ago, internal data show.

“Obviously we’re staying the course with moderation of our overall tuition costs at the institution,” Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz said, citing inflationary pressures and market basket schools as factors in the decision.

Katz said the University’s price increase is below those of peer schools, who increased 3.8 percent last year when GW upped it tuition and fees 2.9 percent.

The Board of Trustees decides tuition and fee increases annually at its February meeting. The amount does not include room, board and lab fees.

The University did not rank in CBS News’ 2011 list of the top 25 priciest private institutions in the country. New York University, the only market basket school on the list, ranked third with $56,787 for room, board and tuition.

Continuing students will see no change from the fee set when they entered the University – part of GW’s guarantee to fix tuition for 10 semesters.

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Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 12:20 a.m.

Obama underlines college access in national address

by The GW Hatchet
President Barack Obama, HIV, AIDS

President Barack Obama addressed college affordability and access in his third State of the Union address Tuesday. Hatchet File Photo

This blog post was written by Hatchet Reporter Mary-Ellen McIntire.

President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of education in solving the nation’s challenges in his third State of the Union address Tuesday.

Obama also noted the rising cost of college attendance and called on lawmakers to provide financial relief to students.

He urged Congress to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling, as they are set to do in July, and to permanently extend the tuition tax credit his administration created.

The president also called on Congress to double the number of Federal Work Study jobs in the United States over the next five years. GW faced $400,000 in federal funding cuts for work-study positions last semester, forcing departments to pay a higher percentage of student salaries – a unique move as peer universities chose instead to slash the number of  jobs available.

“States also need to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets,” Obama said.

He called on colleges and universities to keep tuition costs down, warning, “If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down.”

Obama said he has met with a group of college presidents whose schools had successfully lowered tuition. Some colleges redesigned courses to help students graduate quicker, he said.

Students opting to save money by cutting their final semester has been a trend at GW, although statistics are not available because the University does not officially track students who leave a semester early.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury,” Obama said. “It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”

Obama also addressed the importance of pre-college education.

While tight budgets have forced states to fire thousands of public school teachers, Obama said that a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of students.

“Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. And in return, grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.”

Obama also proposed that every state require all students to stay in high school until graduation or until they turn 18 years old.

“When students are not allowed to drop out, they do better,” Obama said.

The emphasis on education policy in the national address is a continuation of Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign. Launched last October to address student debt, University administrators said few GW students would benefit from the plan.

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Saturday, July 2, 2011 4:13 p.m.

GW ranks high on federal tuition list

by Chelsea Radler

The Department of Education ranked GW No. 8 among private four-year colleges for highest tuition as part of a new federal initiative to help students and families better understand the cost of college.

GW’s tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year, the year data was compiled, was $41,655, nearly double the national average for private four-year not-for-profit institutions.

Bates College, Connecticut College and Middlebury College took the top three spots respectively.

The Department of Education program also allows students to compare the total expense associated with each college after tuition, books and on-campus housing using the newest numbers available. The estimated real cost of attending GW during the 2010-2011 academic year was $55,625. The costs for other District universities were comparable, with Georgetown costing $56,485 and American University costing $52,065.

“These lists are an important part of the Administration’s work to make college costs more transparent and to boost college affordability and accessibility,” a press release about the rankings reads.

The University has battled its reputation as the most expensive school in the nation since 2007 when it topped multiple lists for its cost of attendance. Administrators have pushed back against this notoriety, citing GW’s locked-in tuition rates. When a student enters GW, their tuition does not increase for five years, which means they will still pay their freshman-year rate while their peers at other institutions face tuition increases annually.

“Our no surprises tuition guarantee helps students and their families plan for and manage college costs and has been well received,” University spokeswoman Candace Smith said in an e-mail. ”The fact that continuing undergraduates do not see any change in their tuition is especially important in this time of economic uncertainty.”

Smith did not respond to questions about how the new ranking affects the University’s expensive stereotype, but warned that many lists oversimplify the costs of college attendance. The Department of Education website recognizes the University’s tuition program with a note on GW’s page, but does not qualify its ranking on the tuition list.

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Friday, Feb. 11, 2011 2:31 p.m.

Board of Trustees approves 2.9 percent tuition increase

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Gabrielle Marush

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase tuition by 2.9 percent at their quarterly meeting Friday, an increase on par with GW tuition increases over the past few years.

The increase brings the cost of tuition to $44,148 for all freshmen and transfer students entering the University next academic year.

The increase is $1,243 more than the class who entered this fall pays. The percent increase is slightly less than the 3 percent increases the Board has approved for each of the last 3 years.

The $44,148 amount excludes additional fees for labs, room and board.

The cost will not change for continuing students due to the University’s fixed tuition policy.

“The plan has really come into its own at this time of economic uncertainty,” University President Steven Knapp said of GW’s fixed tuition policy, which guarantees that a student will pay the same tuition for at least 10 semesters. “We’re trying to keep tuition growth as low as possible. We want to get off that list of most expensive universities.”

GW is one of few universities who use a fixed tuition program, which Knapp said has received little attention from national media. Although the first year’s tuition is more expensive than some of GW’s market-basket schools, the overall cost of a GW education is on par with the national average due to the plan, Knapp said.

The average increase in tuition and fees for GW’s 42 basket schools has been 3.8 percent every year over the past 5 years, according to a University news release. This makes GW’s 2.9 percent increase less than that average.

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Monday, Nov. 1, 2010 4:19 p.m.

CNN Money ranks GW fifth most expensive college

by Priya Anand

CNN Money ranked GW No. 5 on its most expensive colleges list, released Monday morning and compiled using data from the Chronicle of Higher Education and The College Board.

Last year, CNN Money ranked the University No. 4 for its total cost of $51,775 for the 2009-2010 academic year. But at a total cost of $53,025 including room and board for the 2010-2011 academic year, GW fell one slot to No. 5.

According to the new rankings, Connecticut College is the most expensive school in the country, charging $53,110 for tuition and room and board.

GW is the only school in the District to place in CNN Money’s list of the top 10 most expensive colleges.

The University escaped Forbes Magazine’s annual top 10 most expensive colleges list in October, sliding to No. 11 at a total of $53,275 for tuition and room and board – just $25 less than Bates College, ranked the 10th most expensive.

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Monday, Oct. 4, 2010 1:51 p.m.

GW no longer ranked among top 10 most expensive universities

by Priya Anand

GW no longer claims the title of being the most expensive university in the U.S., according to Forbes’ annual rankings released Monday morning.

The University is just a mere $25 less expensive than Bates College,  ranked the 10th most expensive by Forbes.

Last year, GW  was No. 3 with $51,730 in tuition and room and board for the 2009-2010 school year.

For the 2010-2011 academic year, Forbes ranked Sarah Lawrence College the most expensive, billing undergraduates $57,556 for tuition and room and board. Georgetown University ranks at No. 9, with annual costs of $53,340 – just $65 more than GW.

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Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 5:53 p.m.

Board votes to raise tuition 3 percent

by Lauren French

The Board of Trustees approved a 3 percent tuition increase at its meeting on Friday, as well as a $10 million boost to financial aid funding.

Tuition for enrolled students does not change under GW’s fixed tuition program, so the new pricing of $42,860 applies to the incoming class of 2014 or transfer students.

The change marks the third year in a row that tuition will increase by 3 percent. The average tuition increase for private universities in 2009 was 4.3 percent – the lowest increase in decades – according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Board also voted to increase the overall cost of attendance for incoming undergraduate students no more than 2.8 percent. Cost of attendance includes room, board and fees, and was $55,625 for the class that entered in fall of 2009.

This year’s financial aid boost was lower than last year’s – when the Board voted to give a $13 million financial aid boost – but Knapp said the University may add additional financial aid funding as needed. Knapp said after the Board meeting that the University plans to admit a smaller freshmen class than last year, which accounts for the lower funding level dedicated at the Board meeting. The total amount of institutional aid for next year will be $143 million.

More than 60 percent of the GW undergraduate population receives some form of financial aid, and the average package is $24,500 for the year, according to Trustee Alan From.

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Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:35 p.m.

New Tuition and Mandatory Costs

by Eric Roper

The big news at this time last year was that GW surpassed $50,000 in tuition and mandatory costs. It was a huge national story, symbolizing for many media outlets the growing cost of higher education. Additionally, we took an in-depth look last spring into how the sticker price was affecting prospective applicants.

So here we are, a year later, and the board just announced a 3 percent increase in tuition (right). Yet there was no mention in the University news release — or, admittedly, our coverage — of the new “sticker price.” This includes room and board, or “mandatory” costs.

University spokesperson Tracy Schario said this week that the current number is $52,577, though this does not yet take into account the student fee increase. Also, if someone receives one of the 1,000 cheaper rooms announced at the board meeting, the cost would be $50,342. This number is also somewhat reflected on the University’s new admissions page.

For anyone who wants to see how these figures have increased per year, take a look at the GW Institutional Research page on tuition. I also expect this year there will be other schools surpassing $50,000, and I will try to reflect that news on this blog.

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