Spring Break
Freeze tuition increases
Issue date: 11/20/08
Hopkins was recently ranked the seventh most expensive university in the nation. Administrators have shifted focus on the financial aid program and generally attribute tuition costs to the higher cost of living in urban areas. However, if the University intends to increase affordability and access, we urge administrators not to increase tuition to ease the financial strain on families already struggling in the tightening economy.
As they have for the past 13 years, average college costs have risen faster than inflation, according to the College Board. Federal funding for colleges has fallen dramatically, forcing schools to demand more out of students' pockets. In response to increasing public frustration, universities like Hopkins have been trying to rein in prices and boost financial aid. However, if history is any indication, it seems likely that Hopkins may implement another tuition spike next year. Financial aid is not rising fast enough for middle-class families that are concerned about college access and mounting student debt. This has led families to increasingly rely on private and federal loans to cover college costs. While improving financial aid is a commendable achievement, we strongly discourage the University from increasing current tuition costs. If increasing access is a top priority for University administrators, this move is the most logical first step.
Given the lack of transparency of Hopkins's finances, it is difficult to make specific recommendations for increasing affordability but it is not unreasonable to call for a halt in tuition increases, particularly following the seven percent increase last year. President-elect Barack Obama urged college graduates in May to pursue careers in public service and give back to their communities. But with the steep price tag for a Hopkins degree, such a path has become an unfeasible financial challenge for graduates. College tuition has risen four times faster than the overall inflation rate, faster even than increases in gas and health care prices. The amount families are paying for college has skyrocketed to unacceptable levels within the past two decades. College costs defy the rules of normal supply and demand and are spiraling wildly out of control. In the absence of any objective measure of the value of an education, price has become the default yardstick. Hopkins must take the lead in changing this peculiar logic and bringing the price of education back down to an affordable level.
As they have for the past 13 years, average college costs have risen faster than inflation, according to the College Board. Federal funding for colleges has fallen dramatically, forcing schools to demand more out of students' pockets. In response to increasing public frustration, universities like Hopkins have been trying to rein in prices and boost financial aid. However, if history is any indication, it seems likely that Hopkins may implement another tuition spike next year. Financial aid is not rising fast enough for middle-class families that are concerned about college access and mounting student debt. This has led families to increasingly rely on private and federal loans to cover college costs. While improving financial aid is a commendable achievement, we strongly discourage the University from increasing current tuition costs. If increasing access is a top priority for University administrators, this move is the most logical first step.
Given the lack of transparency of Hopkins's finances, it is difficult to make specific recommendations for increasing affordability but it is not unreasonable to call for a halt in tuition increases, particularly following the seven percent increase last year. President-elect Barack Obama urged college graduates in May to pursue careers in public service and give back to their communities. But with the steep price tag for a Hopkins degree, such a path has become an unfeasible financial challenge for graduates. College tuition has risen four times faster than the overall inflation rate, faster even than increases in gas and health care prices. The amount families are paying for college has skyrocketed to unacceptable levels within the past two decades. College costs defy the rules of normal supply and demand and are spiraling wildly out of control. In the absence of any objective measure of the value of an education, price has become the default yardstick. Hopkins must take the lead in changing this peculiar logic and bringing the price of education back down to an affordable level.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Gerard Iannelli
posted 11/21/08 @ 11:49 AM EST
Guarantee a set tuition for four years.
stevegeo
posted 11/22/08 @ 6:23 AM EST
I suggest that the 16,000 applicants seeking acceptance to a class of approximately 1,200 might contradict your supply and demand reference. And I disagree there are no objective measures of a Johns Hopkins education - at least one, starting salaries is readily available, Some tuition policies, however should be changed. (Continued…)
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