Georgia State University is Raising their Tuition Fees: 3 Ways How this Affects Students
Georgia State University (GSU) is known for its affordable tuition rates but is set to raise its tuition fees for the 2019 fall semester. This decision came from the Georgia Board of Regents who voted on an increase of all state universities’ tuition fees by 2.5%. The board did not respond to IY’s requests for comments , but an article from WSBTV explains, “State officials said the increases are necessary to fund ongoing programs to improve retention rates, recruit faculty, help more students graduate and cover other costs, such as rising healthcare.” Reasoning aside, how will this affect GSU students?
DEBT
Most GSU students will suffer as a result of this tuition fee increase by taking out bigger loans, resulting in greater student debt without any guarantee of job security upon graduation. Many students are nervous about accruing more debt than originally planned. Ben Dell, a GSU student, said, “I’m glad that I will be graduating in December and that this increase in tuition will only affect me for a short time, but it easily could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. As the cost of living in Atlanta continues to rise, I feel like [the added cost of tuition] will make it even more difficult for students to graduate without a crippling amount of debt.” While it may be easy for the Georgia Board of Regents, made up of middle-aged, financially secure men and women, to dismiss the small hike in tuition, the added debt will be a very real problem that students have to deal with.
Graduation Setbacks
The tuition fee increase throws a wrench on students’ plans for graduation. Many students were not even aware of the plans for the tuition fee increase. Students who signed up for their fall classes, will be in for a shock. They will not be able to pay due to the fee hike. For some students, taking out more loans simply isn’t an option; these students may have to adjust their course load to accommodate their budgets. GSU student Vanessa Stephens lamented, “I won’t be able to afford the full 15 hours that I was planning on taking because of the increased cost of tuition, and it looks like I’ll be graduating a semester later than I’m supposed to because of that.” If students aren’t in the position to pay the extra cost out of pocket or by taking out loans, they should consider the possibility that their graduation date may be pushed further into the future.
Affects Student Performance
Some students rely on loans and scholarships to pay their tuition and cover their cost of living while in school, and others pay out of pocket, or subsidize what their scholarships do not cover with personal funds. The tuition increase might lead to a corresponding spike in the hours students who support themselves have to work to accommodate the extra cost. They might have to add to their existing work hours in order to cover the mounting costs of tuition. Students who may not have had to work in past semesters might have to start. Students in both scenarios are forced to take time away from their studies that they had not initially planned to, which might affect their academic performance. Chris Salazaar, a student at GSU’s Perimeter campus, works part-time to support himself while in school. His concern with the increase in tuition mirrors the aforementioned concerns, “My student loans helped pay a portion of my rent, and with the cost of tuition rising I’m going to have to work more hours to substitute for what my loans would usually cover. It’s already hard enough getting good grades while also holding down a part-time job, and now I need to work more to help with my rent since my financial aid will be going entirely towards tuition. I don’t know how I’m going to keep my GPA where it is.” In this way the 2.5% increase in GSU’s tuition could potentially cause students’ performance to suffer because they may have to divide their attention (either for the first time or at an increased intensity) between school and work.
This is not the first time that tuition at GSU has been raised, and it will not be the last; however, students are at the mercy of universities when it comes to their finances and tuition costs. Hopefully, by being aware of these tuition increases, students can prepare themselves and keep the growing cost of higher education from impeding their future success, but that will be difficult!
