UNL’s rising tuition counteracts decreased state support

When it comes to preparing for the future and getting an education, junior education major Mark Novotny is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

"College is a huge investment for me," Novotny said. "I know that through college, I will be getting the best education I can receive to make sure I know what I'm doing. It is very rare when someone becomes successful who didn't attend college.
"As an education major, I know that I want to be as readily prepared as I'll need to be to ensure the education of my future students."

Students have to pay in order to receive higher education, but just how much are students paying, and where is that money going?
According to the Office of Student Account's website, in-state undergraduate tuition for the 2010-2011 school year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is $198.25 per credit hour, 6 percent more than last year. Out-of-state tuition is $588.25 per credit hour, also a 6 percent increase.

Tuition is separate from student fees that pay for technology, libraries, registration, university programs and facilities fees, as well as miscellaneous course fees. In total, these fees add up to approximately $1,364 per year.

"I think students should have the right to know exactly where their money is going," said Brock Raum, a senior broadcasting major.

According to the University of Nebraska Administrative Office, tuition dollars are pooled into an unrestricted state-aided budget. Money in this budget comes from state appropriations and student tuition. This budget pays for teaching, student services, outreach and extension, administrative support and facility utilities.

Student tuition totals $213.6 million within this budget and $501.3 million is collected from state appropriations.
This unrestricted state-aided budget sustains instruction, research, extension and public service for every college and library UNL, as well as other programs.

Since the state has reduced its support of the university, stakeholders increased tuition in order to suffice funding for the university. Since 1986, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has seen a 6.8 percent decrease in funding from the state.

The 6 percent tuition increase is attributed to the lowered state support. In-state students pay $11.25 more per credit hour; out-of-state students pay $33.25. So, an in-state student taking 15 hours will pay $168.75 more than last year.

"That's a lot of money for a college kid," Raum said. "That's money that could be used for a lot of other things."

According to Assistant Vice President and Director of Budget for the University of Nebraska Chris Kabourek, this increase has to do with four inter-related factors that are key to higher education.

These are stable state support, predictable, moderate tuition increases, adequate financial aid and efficient and cost-effective administration.
"As you probably can imagine, establishing the university budget is complex process that involves many stakeholders and a lot of discussion," Kabourek said.

Although some students see this increase as harsh, on average, UNL's future peers in the Big Ten had a tuition increase of 6.3 percent. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign had a tuition increase of 9.5 percent. Ohio State University had a 7 percent increase in tuition. Purdue University, however, had an increase of only 5 percent.

"I feel like tuition is going to be going up no matter where you are in the country," Novotny said. "New technology for new ways of learning isn't free, so someone has to pay for it. It definitely isn't the greatest feeling, but hopefully that money is going to good use to newer and better things."

brittanymcneal@dailynebraskan.com