by Amalea Smirniotopoulos
Washington Square News (New York U.)
(U-WIRE) NEW YORK -- Last Thursday, Great Britain's Labor government announced plans to change the way the nation's higher education system is financed, proposing that universities be allowed to charge students higher tuition fees and allowing them to defer payment until graduation.
Prior to 1998, university education in Great Britain was free. The new proposals would allow universities to charge a startling $4,900 starting in 2006, up from the current fee of $1,800. The government said the plan would allow poorer students to go to college and would raise revenue for the ailing university system, which is almost entirely supported by the government. Opposition politicians and student groups have denounced the proposal as potentially discouraging young people from attending college because of fears of amassing "huge, American-style student debts," according to The New York Times.
Meanwhile, those of us on the other side of the pond wonder what the Brits are complaining about.
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The current tuition at a British university is nothing more than a blip on the radar screen compared to tuition prices here in the states. At private American universities such as NYU, whose tuition can run upwards of $25,000, $1,800 is more plausible as a tuition increase. For many families, that means depending on financial aid to help cover costs. At NYU, about 70 percent of the student body receives some financial aid. Increasingly, this aid is coming from loans. So while for the Brits post-graduation debt is still little more than a possibility, for American students it is a harsh reality.
Students at SUNY are facing the largest tuition increase in the history of that institution. A student paying $3,400 in tuition and receiving $3,400 in aid could face a tuition increase of $1,400 and a reduction in aid of $2,400.
At the same time, faced with budget problems of his own, Gov. George Pataki is expected to propose a reduction in the state's Tuition Assistance Program by as much as half, according to last Friday's New York Times. Currently, TAP provides $675 million to 300,000 residents attending private and public colleges in New York state, including many of you and your classmates.
Between one-quarter and one-half of this aid will be deferred until graduation. If students do not graduate in a timely fashion, TAP will withhold the rest of the money. Under this plan, a majority of TAP recipients would never receive the balance, because fewer than half graduate in four years.
Pataki's plan may further increase tuition costs, both at SUNY and elsewhere in the state. According to NYU Vice Provost Lynne Brown, NYU has increased its financial aid budget by over 10 percent a year for several years to keep pace with tuition increases. The cut in TAP funds may lead to a further increase. That, in turn, has "put ... pressure on tuition," leading to tuition increases, Brown said. While NYU President John Sexton has promised to freeze the tuition, he may not be able to keep his promise should TAP funds decrease.
Nor will Pataki's proposed deferral of tuition assistance until graduation, as his aides suggest, provide an incentive for students to graduate quickly; rather, by cutting the money available for college, the plan is more likely to reduce graduation rates, as cash-strapped students take jobs, work longer hours and pile up greater debt.
Even as things stand, many students are still faced with the problem of "un-met need" even with significant aid packages. "Despite grants, loans, scholarships... there is still a gap," Brown said. "Federal aid has not kept pace with either the rising cost of tuition or the rising need."
Several students simply cannot go to the school of their choice because of the costs. Many of my high school friends had to face this difficult decision. One female, for example, was accepted to Columbia University early decision, but could not attend. Even with aid, the university was too expensive. If the trend of insufficient aid continues, a university education, particularly at private universities, will increasingly become limited to the rich.
If Sexton wants NYU to be a "leadership university," why not become a leader in tuition and financial aid, beginning by opposing Pataki's proposal? NYU already has a history of lobbying Congress for increased federal aid. Sexton need only continue this tradition.
However, the administration should not work alone. Pataki's plan will be disastrous primarily for students. I hate to be clichÇ about this, but write your state representative. The 15 minutes it will take could save you thousands of dollars later.
As for the Brits? They would do well to take a lesson from the American university system, lest their students end up in the same position that we are now.
