PSU Freeze
A Modest Proposal
Freezing Penn State Tuition
Why we should do it and how we can get it
done.
April 16, 2013
notorious for faring poorly in this category; as a
matter of fact, the College Board found the
average state appropriation for higher education
in Pennsylvania was the fifth lowest in the
nation. We are certain that state budget cuts
over the recent couple of years have contributed
to the Board’s decision to raise tuition. However,
we found it interesting that state funding was not
so much the issue last year, despite the 2.9%
tuition increase. According to the Centre Daily
Times, state funding was actually constant in
2012, following the 20% decrease the year
before.
A lot of decisions will be made this July about
the budget, including the cost of tuition for
students.
The rising cost of college tuition has caused a
strain on the students of Penn State. After
talking with our peers and considering our own
financial situations, we would like to try taking
matters into our own hands. Recently we have
written a letter to the Board of Trustees with a
modest proposal: to freeze tuition rates for each
incoming class, adjusted only for inflation.
In 2011, the U.S. News and World Report listed
Penn State as the most expensive public school
for in-state students, outranking all of the 452
public institutions surveyed. But the cost of
attending Penn State keeps rising at a higher
rate than inflation; the inflation rate last year was
only around 1.7%, however, the Board of
Trustees approved an in-state tuition increase
for University Park students of 2.9% for the
2012-2013 school year. That extra 1.2% comes
down to nearly $200 more per student per year.
And we can tell you from personal experience
that $200 can cover at least half of our textbook
costs per semester. Furthermore, this in-state
cost was coupled with a 2.4% increase in out-ofstate tuition, and a 1.9% increase in the tuition at
branch campuses.
Of course, when any public university is
considered, state funding must be taken into
account and we are aware that Pennsylvania is
In a recent interview conducted in February of
2013 by StateCollege.com Board Chairman
Keith Masser is quoted as saying, “My number
one priority is to ensure Penn State education
remains affordable and accessible. I realize
hardships it places on families and students.”
We realize that the Board is doing everything in
its power to attempt to keep education
affordable, however we would like to be a part of
Penn State Tuition 2007-2013
Tuition
According to the Project on Student Debt, the
average Penn State University Park student in
2011 graduated with $33,530. Unfortunately, this
figure does not seem as alarming as it should
be, because graduating with large sums of debt
has somehow become a norm in this country, in
this state, and even at this school.
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
In State Tuition
(Freshmen/Sophmore)
In State Tuition
(Junior/Senior
Average)
Out of State Tuition
(Freshmen/sophmore)
Out of State Tuition
(Junior/Senior
Average)
Year
the solution and help make this a reality.
This proposal will have its drawbacks. In order
for the university to expand its reach and the
services it offers to its students, tuition hikes
need to occur. Nevertheless, we believe that the
university’s greatest investment is its students,
and in order for the students to achieve all that
they can, they need to be focused more on their
studies and less on the money. Thirty two
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PSU Freeze
different schools have already done this for their
students in the last thirteen years, including all
Florida Public colleges, Vanderbilt University,
George Washington University, all Illinois Public
Colleges, and the University of Texas at Dallas.
We understand that some cuts may need to be
instituted for our plan to be implemented. Some
of our proposed cuts come from areas such as,
administration costs, student instruction,
admissions, registrar, activities for the students
emotional, physical, cultural, and intellectual
well-being. However, before cuts are made, we
believe that the Board should consult with the
students, many of which may have creative and
possibly successful ideas.
Mr. Masser also said, “The student voice needs
to be heard, we need to lobby Harrisburg for
increased support.” And we agree with this fully:
in order to make the best decisions, it is crucial
for the university staff and administration to
listen to the students. Consequently, we believe
that a student representative should be elected
to the Board of Trustees in order to provide the
students with a say. By working together, and
keeping everyone’s interests in mind, we can
provide the most ideal allocation of the budget.
For example, there has been a lot of talk among
our peers about the proposed $25 million HUB
expansion next year, and we urge the Board to
direct those funds to scholarships instead.
Extra revenue could also be generated if each
teacher taught just one extra class. A recent
study by economist Andrew Gillen found that
Penn State could generate as much as $225.3
million from new in-state students if each of
1,748 professors taught just one more class per
semester. That amount would be enough to
cover the tuition costs of 13,701 students.
In addition, we have found that the university
already has sufficient funds to enact this
proposal. According to data from the University
Budget Office, we found that there was $422.5
million surplus for the 2011-2012 school year;
yet tuition continued to rise by 2.9%. If the
university is running a surplus, why continue to
charge the students higher rate? We tried to find
more information about where this money was
spent, because it is possible that our analysis of
the numbers was wrong, but none of the
departments we contacted could tell us more
about this.
April 16, 2013
As such, we also ask for more transparency in
the allocation of tuition. We had a very difficult
time finding out where our money goes, and still
are a little uncertain on a few aspects of the
budget. In fact, when we called the Bursar Office
for our research, they told us they did not have
the information we requested. After also
contacting the Board of Trustees and Auxiliary
and Business, we were ultimately sent back to
the Bursar office, where someone gave us
limited information from a few links online.
We still feel that we made the right decision in
coming to Penn State, and we are sure most of
the students feel the same as we do.
After all of the trials and tribulations that this
university has suffered, after shocking scandals,
a recession, and a new state government that is
particularly stingy towards financing education, it
is time for us to take things into its own hands.
We, the students are the spirit of this university.
We are its substance, its opportunity, and its
future.
We are Penn State.
Meet The Members of PSU Freeze:
Maria Cosma
Major: Economics, Energy
Business & Finance
Year: Freshmen
Alexa Echevarria
Major: Sociology
Year: Freshmen
Alyssa Palmer
Major: Psychology
Year: Freshmen
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