Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Wesleyan raises tuition for the second consecutive year

By megan fedele

mbfedele@vwc.edu

Virginia Wesleyan College has again raised the price tag for degree-seeking students. Tuition has gone up from $24,355 in the 2007-2008 academic year to $25,938 for the 2008-2009 academic year.

VWC’s is ranked amongst the highest tuitions in the state of Virginia. The only college that boasted a higher tuition on CNN’s college guide was the University of Richmond at $36,550 per year.

“Our cost of doing business went up according to the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), so tuition was raised 3.5 percent,” said Cary Sawyer, vice president of finance. “That covers the basket of higher education costs. This also puts more money into financial aid.”

The board of trustees approved the tuition increase at a meeting held Jan. 16.

Last year VWC experienced another tuition hike.

There was also inflation last year, according to HEPI, a 3.37 percent rise. For 2008, they project 3.8 percent inflation.

HEPI shows inflation rates for colleges and universities, reflecting how much it will cost for the college or university to operate, according to Commonfund, a research organization that releases publications for schools of higher learning.

Eight things contribute to this tuition figure, including faculty salaries, administrative salaries, clerical costs, service employees, fringe benefits, miscellaneous services, supplies and materials, and utilities.

Scholarship students will not have their scholarships raised in accordance with the increase.

While this may be a necessary tuition hike for the college, students are less than thrilled.

“It makes me angry that the tuition keeps going up when they don’t offer to raise my scholarship,” said sophomore Shannon Augustino. “It is becoming harder and harder to pay for school and I dread the day I have to pay all this money back.”