Tuition Hearing At Montclair State University

With spring semester soon coming to a conclusion, and registration for the upcoming fall semester in full-swing, tuition rates have become a concern for Montclair State University students.

The board of trustees held a public session tuition hearing last week in which students were invited to voice their opinions in three-minute slots. Though the views of the students will be taken into consideration, a decision on tuition rates for the 2011-2012 school year will be established in July, according to university president Dr. Susan Cole.

“This board spends a lot of time thinking about how it can keep the institution affordable,” said Cole. “I can assure you that when it does raise tuition it raises it as little as possible and it does so with no joy whatsoever.”

Despite Cole’s assurance, students still remain skeptical and are concerned about their educational futures. The board of trustees used this meeting as a forum for students to speak about a decision that will greatly impact them.

“I transferred from Monmouth because they raised tuition too much. I plan on graduating from Montclair, so I hope they don’t do the same thing Monmouth did,” said junior Melissa Aviles.

Aviles receives approximately $2,000 in financial aid and hopes to work as a counselor for adolescents once she is able to graduate.

“I’m hoping that they’ll see that instead of helping the college by raising tuition, they’re actually hindering it,” said Aviles.

For some, the tuition increase will deter the completing their education. Alan Akins, explained he will be personally touched by the tuition increase. He comes from a single parent family.

 “The idea that I would be denied something that I want so bad depressed me. This feeling went on for weeks,” said Akins. “It feels like MSU is going from a school to a business. It is having a huge impact on the students.”
Cole feels that the university is doing its best to satisfy the students. “We have had historic size cuts and we are doing the very best we can and we continue to provide [the students] with a high quality education even with those cuts. We will continue to work hard to do that,” said Cole.

“Montclair State has among the lowest tuitions in the state even among public institutions because we work so hard to keep it low,” said Cole

Montclair State’s current rate is $10,113 for in-state undergraduate tuition and fees for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. The College of New Jersey has a $13,273 rate, Rutgers charges $12,560, Ramapo College charges $11,874, and Kean University has a $9,814 rate.

Out-of-state tuition and fees run as follows:

MSU: $18,445

Rutgers: $24,316

Kean: $15,404

Ramapo: $19,678

TCNJ: $22,659

Sophomore commuter student Yasim Begum from Paterson hoped the tuition hearing would help make the board consider the position that students are in. A biology major with hopes of becoming a doctor, Begum said, “It stresses me out a lot. I worry all the time about if I don’t get financial aid or a scholarship for medical school like I do now.”

Though it is a university concern, Cole stressed the state plays a large role in the boards’ decision.

“Each legislator, year after year, has cut the budget for public higher education,” said Cole. “They will keep cutting the budgets for public higher education, as much as we argue against it, until the electorate tells them that that is not what we want them to do.”

While many students left distressed and unsure about the decision that will be reached over the summer, they have been considering taking their thoughts to a higher authority.