Paying the price for your major

Should college tuition vary by sequence or remain universal

Illustration by Zon Petilla

By Donna Takeda
The Collegian

Twice a year, after paying off a semester’s tuition, my credit limit increases and so do my thank-you reward points.

If there are advantages to high tuition they include bolstering my credit rating and through Citibank I earn points for prizes. By graduation I’ll have earned points redeemable for that plane ticket to Rome. Well, not quite, but it seems a fairly obtainable goal when considering registration fees have increased by over 60 percent in three years.

Registration was $898 my first semester at Fresno State in the fall of 2002. This year, every student taking seven or more units paid $1,466.50 and this sum is likely to go up as budgets continue to tighten.

No one wants to pay more tuition than is required, but arguably some students are being ripped off.

For example: Liberal Arts students— why are you paying the same tuition as science and mathematics majors? Those in the science and math disciplines have more labs, more buildings on campus and are using seemingly more resources than liberal art programs. So why aren’t they paying more?

But should they pay more? “If I were going into liberal studies I’d say no,” said Damon O’Brien, an undeclared major. “Now if I were going into science I’d say yes.”

Criminology major Kate Coster proves his point.

“I still think everyone should pay the same,” said Coster. “We’re all still sharing the same facilities on campus and it’s better to keep it fair. We’re all at the same college after all.”

Many campuses nationwide use adjusted fee schedules for the varying academic disciplines. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is an example of one such school in the CSU system.

Cindy Piper, a financial accountant at Cal Poly said she hasn’t heard any student complaints since the graduated fee schedule started in 2002. At that campus, liberal arts students pay $1,331 a quarter while those at the colleges of agriculture, business, science, math and architecture pay $1,415 a quarter.

“The California State Universities have a system-wide fee structure,” said John Waayerf, Fresno State University Budget Officer. “ All 23 universities pay the same mandated fee. In the case of Cal Poly, their tuition rates differ because “they pay an additional fee, over and beyond the normal state fee.”

In the CSU system, registration fees cover a third of a student’s education costs. The remaining two-thirds are state appropriated.

Perhaps an even harsher discrepancy in cost is the fact that a student carrying seven units a semester pays the same tuition as a student who takes 22 units. Students like me, who average 18 units a semester, are getting a lot better value for our buck.

Ultimately, students should pay a set price for each unit for which they are enrolled. In this scenario it wouldn’t matter if a student takes three units or 15, the price would be adjusted accordingly. Such a system is fairer to those who take a less rigorous course load and can afford many
students a slight price break.

“I would support a flat rate per unit,” said Mai Lee, a biology major. “Students shouldn’t be penalized for taking less classes, it should be proportional to what you take.”

Waayerf said such a change would need approval by all the CSU campuses. He also points out that Fresno State has the second lowest fees in the system, slightly above CSU Long Beach.

Since I take a heavy course load I understand that by paying per unit my registration fees would probably increase. However, the objective is fairness for all students of any major

and ambition.

Besides, I want those rewards.

Donna Takeda is a senior majoring in Mass Communication and Journalism. E-mail this columnist at [email protected].