Rising costs
Only one group can be hit with a tuition increase on Thursday - and like the last three years, it's the incoming freshmen that will bear the burden.
This year, however, the cost increase won't be upon them from the outset.
The CMU Promise is over, meaning tuition can now be adjusted each semester for the incoming class. In five short years, incoming students' tuition has nearly doubled (from $5,328 in 2003 to $9,120 in 2007). The Promise was in place for three of those years.
Rising tuition is a nation-wide trend. But CMU's Promise has put the university in a bind.
Was it a gimmick to raise tuition to the levels of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University? No - the Promise had good intentions. But it has now put CMU up near the top for incoming tuition. This is the first year we see whether it will stay near the top in the years to come.
There may not be many options but to raise the incoming rate even higher. However, an increase of more than 5 percent would be excessive. The trustees have, and still must, consider what another increase could do to the marketability of the institution.
The Promise was a wonderful tool to draw high school graduates. Now, the tuition rate is the same as any of the other 14 of Michigan's public universities. To draw these same students, marketing must switch gears. The programs, facilities and location need to be brought to the forefront.
The average increase approved by the six state universities to set tuition thus far is 6.1 percent.
Central must stay below this figure to show its dedication to lowering its incoming rate in several years. It cannot be done now because of financial reasons. But over time, this must be lowered back to the third-lowest in the state once more.
Incoming students in 2001 paid $105 per credit hour compared with last year's $304. This is largely due to the decline in state appropriations.
School officials may justify this by showcasing the average tuition among the 15 universities - in which CMU ranks third lowest as of the last academic year.
But when the upper classmen who are receiving fixed tuition leave, then what?
It will take another three years before CMU can raise the rate for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.
In the mean time, administrators must make sure incoming students are being treated fairly.
