All URI students will see a 2.5 percent increase in tuition starting in the fall 2022 semester. PHOTO CREDIT: Vox.com
The University of Rhode Island announced in September that student tuition rates would increase 2.5 percent for in-state and out-of-state students this upcoming academic year.
While administrators explained the reason behind these increases in an article last semester, some students have expressed their unhappiness with the increase.
Tuition for in-state students for the 2022-23 academic year will be $15,880 and the rate for out-of-state students will be $34,362. Previously, the rates were $15,332 and $33,354, respectively.
The increase was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees to invest in strategic priorities and financial aid while also maintaining affordability for students, according to an email sent by President Marc Parlange on Sept. 29, 2021. The board also approved a 10.2 percent increase to other mandatory fees students pay to support critical facilities and programming.
Despite the email announcement, many students were unaware of the increased price.
“The increase in tuition was not made clear enough to students,” Mia Wilder, a sophomore marketing major, said.“Tuition is already steep for being out of state. I never would have thought to look at the bottom of an email for that important news.”
To help students cover the cost of tuition, the University awards over $104 million annually in undergraduate aid and scholarships, according to their website. Work studies and on-campus job opportunities are also offered to eligible students.
Luke Lockhart, a sophomore civil engineering major, said that even though on-campus job opportunities and financial aid packages are offered, this does not mean everyone is benefitting from them.
“Not every student has the free time to pick up a job in between classes,” Lockhart said. “I doubt everyone is awarded financial aid or scholarships, either. Everyone is in a different situation and finances are nothing to take lightly.”
Lockhart said his tuition is being financed out-of-pocket and through financial aid awarded by the University.
“I am fortunate for the aid I received from the University,” he said. “I am still paying over $20,000 a year, however. If I’m worried about an increase in that price, I don’t think others are taking the news lightly, either.”
Although Wilder is not immediately impacted by the increased costs, she believes that others are bound to face problems because of it.
“It’s a very different game when the money is coming out of your pocket rather than a financial aid package or scholarship,” she said. “Figuring out ways to pay tuition is a real-life problem everyone is dealing with. It’s never easy.”
Julia Pratt, a communicative disorders sophomore, agreed that finding ways to pay tuition is circumstantial for every student. She said that she was unaware of the upcoming increase.
“Everyone does it differently,” she said. “I am financing my remaining semesters out-of-pocket. It’s a bummer that the University decided to increase tuition now.”
She said that she wants to maintain a job next semester alongside her classes to help cover the cost of tuition and eventual loan payments.
“It’ll definitely be an experience balancing my classes and a job,” Pratt said. “One paycheck might not seem like a lot when comparing it to the cost of a semester at URI, but we all have to start somewhere.”