LARGE AND
UNEXPECTED TUITION HIKES ARE AN OUTRAGE
Unexpected sky high tuition increases have made more difficult or shattered the plans and hopes of thousands of Maryland families to give their children a college education.
Last year, in response to Governor Ehrlich’s $120 million higher education budget cut, the Maryland Board of Regents approved a 20% tuition increase. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the Board recently imposed additional tuition increases of 6% to 11.4% on the State’s 11-campus higher education system.
For a 5-year period, from 1996 to 2001, annual tuition increases at the state-funded colleges and universities have been held to 4%. During that same period, state aid to higher education increased substantially. Now, for the first time, Maryland students and their families are paying a greater percentage (47%) to fund higher education than the state, which pays 43%.
The tuition increases hit hardest on middle income families. It should be pointed out that the tax dollars of these same middle income families help pay the cost of state-funded colleges.
The goal of and philosophy behind state-aid to higher education is to enable the greatest number of eligible Maryland students to receive a college education at affordable tuition costs. Cutting state higher education funds and imposing huge unanticipated tuition hikes strikes at the heart of the goal to increase higher education opportunities and undermines the effort to keep college education affordable.
Some regents support raising the average tuition statewide from $4,400 to about $9,000 over the next six years as a way to make the state’s colleges and universities seem more prestigious. Regent Richard E. Hug stated, “The perception is, if tuition’s too low, people say, ‘Hey, that school can’t be any good.”
Letter to the Editor
Page 2
If Mr. Hug’s notion had any truth to it, the University of Maryland at College Park academic quality rating would be higher than North Carolina’s and Virginia’s state universities, where tuition is lower. However, that is not the case. In fact, College Park’s tuition and mandatory fees have soared to $6,759. This is a higher price tag than most state-funded universities and much higher than the nationwide average tuition costs of $4,494 at four-year public colleges.
Governor Ehrlich has said he will examine the feasibility of capping tuition increases. It should be pointed out that putting limits on tuition increases is not possible without increasing the state’s contribution to higher education. However, balancing the higher education budget on the backs of Maryland students and their families is unconscionable.
Students and their families have been hit hard with unexpected large tuition increases. They’ve had the rug pulled out from under them. At the very least, students and their families have the right to know just how much a college education at a state-funded university or college is going to cost. As it stands now, they do not know.
As always, I welcome and encourage your views on this or any other legislative matter of concern to you. I may be contacted in Annapolis: 309 Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401 – Phone 410-841-3766 FAX 410-841-3850 or at my home office: 1 Minte Drive, Baltimore, MD 21236 – Phone 410-529-7473 FAX 410-529-0776. My website is: www.ericbromwell.com
Sincerely,
Eric Bromwell
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