CSU, Metro also hike tuition
Panel today will discuss initiatives on college costs
By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 4, 2008 at 11:11 a.m.
More Colorado college students will see steep increases in tuition and fees in the coming school year - to the tune of 9.5 percent at Colorado State University and 7.5 percent at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
That amounts to an increase of almost $1,500 for full-time resident students living on the CSU campus last year.
This comes on the heels of a 9.3 percent increase at the University of Colorado and a 5 percent hike by the Colorado Community College System, which oversees 13 schools. Both raises were approved in April.
Friday, the Board of Trustees at the University of Northern Colorado is expected to approve a 9.5 percent tuition hike.
Nearly all state colleges and universities chose to raise tuition at the limits set by the legislature this year. Metro State's increase is the highest this decade.
Statewide, low-income students get a break: they will see an increase of just 5 percent, and students on CSU's Pueblo campus will see a 7.5 percent hike, rather than 9.5 percent.
Concerns about the rising cost of college have spurred two ballot initiatives that will be discussed this morning at a meeting of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.
One measure, spearheaded by Gov. Bill Ritter, would generate more than $100 million a year for scholarships from the removal of an oil and gas tax credit. The other would increase gambling limits at casinos to help fund junior and community colleges.
Aaron "Jack" Wylie, a Metro State political science major and outgoing president of the school's Student Government Assembly, said he supports the scholarship measure. He said the latest tuition hike is difficult for students and could cause some not to be able to afford school next year.
Wylie said Metro State trustees have been careful about keeping tuition increases low. But this year, continued funding shortfalls made it necessary to take advantage of the entire tuition increase approved by lawmakers, he said.
"It's a reality of the situation we're in," Wylie said. "You look at all the numbers. You look at the situation . . . It needs to be done."
The scholarship proposal, if approved by voters this November, would affect students entering college in the 2009-10 school year.
Details are sketchy. But the campaign said the fund would be based on a formula for low- and middle-income families with no more than a $100,000-a-year gross adjusted income. Lower-income families would get more scholarship money, and higher-income families would get less.
The fund is not tied to grades for eligibility. But recipients would need to maintain at least a 2.5 GPA to continue receiving the aid, said George Merritt, spokesman for the campaign, called A Smarter Colorado.
Several university leaders were initially cool to the idea because they wanted the fund to pay for operating expenses. But some officials, including CU President Bruce Benson, are now publicly supporting the measure.
kimm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2361
Higher and higher education Here's a look at resident tuition cost at the major state colleges, universities for past 10 years
School 1999-2000 / 2000-01 / 2001-02 / 2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07 / 2007-08 / 2008-09
CU
2,440 / 2,515 / 2,614 / 2,776 / 3,192 / 3,480 / 4,446 / 4,554 / 5,418 / 5,921
CSU
2,340 / 2,408 / 2,502 / 2,655 / 2,908 / 2,940 / 3,381 / 3,466 / 4,040 / 4,424
UNC
2,014 / 2,072 / 2,155 / 2,290 / 2,520 / 2,850 / 3,192 / 3,276 / 3,600 / 3,942
Metro State
1,718 / 1,768 / 1,838 / 1,925 / 2,021 / 2,044 / 2,191 / 2,246 / 2,432 / 2,614
Colorado Community College System
1,351 / 1,386 / 1,441 / 1,510 / 1,585 / 1,603 / 1,746 / 1,789 / 1,852 / 1,945
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June 4, 2008
11:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
RockLobster writes:
Well of course they are. And just in time since my eldest daughter is heading to Ft. Collins for her first year of college this fall.
June 4, 2008
11:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
LingLingfor_prez writes:
Blame it on gas prices.. Thanks for increasing your profit margins CSU.
June 4, 2008
4:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
ericsmithdc writes:
I hope it buys a good football team.
June 4, 2008
4:44 p.m.
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John Boogert writes:
I'm at a loss for words.
June 4, 2008
5:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
HolierThanThou writes:
If there were any working Americans who could still afford a university education, I'm sure they'd be complaining now.
June 4, 2008
6:13 p.m.
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Vector049 writes:
These diploma mills are a waste of money and time.
June 5, 2008
5:01 a.m.
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Shadow writes:
How much money do we the tax payer have to come up wirth before we recieve anything back. The more we pay, the less education students recieve. Just go and ask a collage student 25 simple civic or history questions. Then add up their correct answers on one hand.
June 5, 2008
8:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
Scott writes:
My view is that colleges stopped teaching back during the Vietnam war. The cowards hid out on college campuses using a "college deferment". With the large influx of cash the top administrators shifted their outlook from being an institution of learning to a for-profit business. Or at least a money machine to increase their own empire.
Lets face it. Most of the kiddies that are in college don't belong there. At best they are mediocre students and that lib arts degree that they are getting will make them educated postal employees. NOTE: I have nothing against postal employees, but it does not take a BA in history to deliver the mail.
What most of these kiddies should be going for is an education in one of the trades. As an example, the major appliance repair industry is really turning grey. You can make a decent living at it, but there are very few kids going into that trade. There are many other examples with the other trades. BTW, want to make a lot more than a lib arts major with a degree in literature? Learn to be a electrician and open your own small shop. With in a couple of years you'll have that lit major asking for a job as your apprentice!
Scott
June 5, 2008
8 p.m.
Suggest removal
drmamontgomery writes:
It is no surprise that tuition is rising. Costs keep going up, especially health care costs (in case nobody has noticed their own bills going up). And while there could, perhaps, be some cuts, I don't think most parents want their kids to have even larger courses and higher faculty-to-student ratios. Somebody has to pay for all those human beings that teach our kids. And since we will not raise our own taxes to pay for our higher education system, parents and kids can expect to pay higher tuition rates will into the future.
You might want to take a look at an editorial I wrote a little while back (http://www.denverpost.com/opinionhead...) or at my blog: http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=214.