University Announces Tuition, Other Fee Increases
Image courtesy of Noah Slayter.
By Patrick D. Lewis and Griffin Cappiello
On February 10th, Catholic University announced a 2.7% increase in tuition as well as other fee increases.
In an email to students, the Division of University Communications said the Board of Trustees has approved a 2.7% tuition increase, a 2% housing increase, a 3.9% board increase, and a 2.5% increase for the university services fee. Graduate students will also see an increase, with tuition rising from 1.5-2.5% depending on programs.
“Tuition and fees are set annually as part of the University’s comprehensive financial planning process,” Karna Lozoya, Vice President for Communications, told The Tower. “Each year we review projected costs, contractual increases, and long-term sustainability, and tuition is adjusted accordingly. While no increase is ever taken lightly, the adjustments reflect a balance between ensuring access to a Catholic University education and maintaining the quality of education and services we offer.”
The announcement also said that, while the student activities fee will not increase, “Qualifying students will see the introduction of a U-Pass fee on their accounts, which will enable access to the WMATA transit system at a significantly reduced cost.”
Lozoya said more details around the U-Pass will be released soon. The program, long sought by many students, generated controversy last year during debates in student government meetings over whether to recommend its implementation. It was ultimately approved by the Board of Trustees last year. Catholic University was the only major school in the city not to participate in the program.
Students were generally disappointed with the tuition increases.
“I’m wondering where that money is going to go,” sophomore musical theater major Bryan Kotlar said. “We already pay so much, and as a musical theater major, we have a lot of extra fees we have to pay for our dance classes.”
“It’s really crazy, especially because they’re not increasing scholarships with it,” freshman history major Ashley Tiwari said. “Most people are here only because of scholarships, so the fact that they’re leaving scholarships the same but increasing tuition puts a lot of people in a difficult situation.”
“A lot of us are on different scholarships… to be here,” sophomore architecture major Toby O’Brien said. “That increase to tuition is really hurting us because either we have to sacrifice on different things, or we have to find more scholarships, otherwise we can’t afford to go to this university.”
