Students at Georgia State and Georgia Regents universities will pay $156 and $155, or four percent more, per semester beginning next fall, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents met at the University of North Georgia on April 15 to vote on tuition increases for 31 colleges within the state.
Georgia Tech’s tuition will increase by 9 percent—or $372 per semester—for undergraduate students. Tuition at the University of Georgia will increase by 7 percent, or $281, per semester.
For the 27 out of 31 total colleges in the University System of Georgia, students will pay an average of $32-85, or 2.5 percent more in tuition per semester.
This is the third year that the Board of Regents separated the rates for the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This also includes Georgia Regents University.
The Journal noted that one of the primary ways USG keeps research colleges nationally competitive and respond to high enrollment demands, it is necessary to raise tuition.
However, the Atlanta Journal-Consititution also states that before the recession, state funding covered up to 75 percent of college expenses. The remaining costs were paid for by tuition.
Because of cuts to agency budgets and declining state revenue, tuition now funds half of college costs.
The Ledger-Inquirer stated that tuition costs have increased each year since 2002.
For the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semester at Georgia state, in-state students paid $3,120.00 for 12 credit hours, according to the University’s official undergraduate tuition and fees report.
Out-of-state students attending Georgia State this year had to pay $10,404 for 12 credit hours.
In the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters at Georgia State, in-state students paid $3,014.40 per semester and out-of-state students paid $10,298.40.
In the 2011-2012 school year at Georgia State, in-state students paid an average of $2,212.98 per semester and out-of-state students paid $10,196.88.
In-state Georgia State students during the 2010-2011 year paid $2,832.00 in tuition costs for 12 credit hours. Out-of-state students paid $10,116.00.
Based on the new 4-percent increase for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, students planning to take 12 credit hours will have to pay an average of $3,276 for in-state tuition and $10,560 for out-of-state per semester
Jenna Lee, who is a freshman at the University, said that she fears the costs will continue to increase and she will never see general benefits or improvements while she attends Georgia State.
Kennedy Saulsberry, also a freshman at Georgia State, said that the increase makes her angry because money is tight for her and many other students.
The 2015 state budget that was approved by lawmakers increased the funding for the University system by $55.9 million, according to The Ledger-Inquirer. The budget had also increased Georgia’s funding for HOPE scholarship by 3 percent.
“The system tuition increase will exceed that boost by about $4 or $5 million because of the high number of scholarship recipients who attend the four research universities,” John Brown, the system’s vice chancellor fiscal affairs and treasurer said in an interview with The Ledger-Inquirer.
Aieshah Abdeljawad is currently a student at Georgia State who plans to transfer to Georgia Tech in fall 2014.
“I thought dues were already high enough. Now I just learned that I’m going to be paying even more by transferring,” Abdeljawad said. “With all these increases I really don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford everything.”
Senior Dawn Wade said that she feels that the quality of education and facilities at Georgia State isn’t worth the amount of tuition paid.
“Our tuition rates and fees are roughly the same as UGA and Georgia Tech, but GSU students get way less in return than students get at UGA and TG,” Wade said. “Tuition keeps going up, yet students are still having trouble getting into the classes they need to graduate. It’s probably time for GSU to start privileging academics over expansion.”
Wade also said that she feels that enrollment within universities is at an all time hight, but students are still clamoring for the same amount of resources.
Sara Morrow, a junior at Georgia State said that the tuition raise is inconvenient, because people generally aren’t prepared for sudden changes in costs for school, especially out of state students because their costs are higher.
“There should be some kind of program that educates students and parents on how to financially prepare for potential rises of college expenses,” she said.
