Fee Increases Will Stress Students
By Felicha C. Stevens
Bursar Office in Shuster Hall. (Photo Credit: Felicha C. Stevens)
“My parents’ income is not a reflection of my own and shouldn’t be used as a determinant for how much aid I receive as a student. I understand that some people don’t need financial aid, but I do. These high fees don’t help,” said Lehman senior Alex Monroe when asked how a future increase in student fees will affect her.
By the 2021-2022 school year, the part-time per-credit cost at Lehman College will increase to $85, according to CUNY’s administration and finance department; it took five years for these annual charges to rise. Collegefactual. com reports that nationally the per credit cost for the 2018-2019 year is expected to be $607 and may reach $696 per credit by 2021–2022.
“I am not surprised our student fees are increasing,” explained Monroe, a Yonkers resident majoring in social work with a minor in political science. It’s becoming very costly to pay for school. As a middle-class person, financial aid is not something that is given freely, but sparingly. This causes me to look for higher-paying work. Considering I’m going into my masters next semester, I can’t imagine the amount of stress I will experience working full time, my academic performance, and making time for my personal life.”
Some Lehmanites are also concerned that the raise in student fees will result in students dropping out of college. “College is expensive as it is, so increasing the fees will only add more stress to these students, resulting in dropping out, or not being able to finish on time,” said Lehman junior Sabrina Nunez, a psychology major with a minor in disability studies and sociology. As of fall 2018, the undergraduate full-time rate was $3,265 for students pursuing 12-18 credits. For graduate students seeking full-time classes of between 12- 18 credits, the rate was $5,225 and for master of social work students looking to attend full-time, it was $6,895.
In “Best Colleges for Your Money” 2018 edition, Lehman was ranked one of the top schools in the country. CUNY.edu details the CUNY schools-- nine senior colleges and two community colleges--that dominated the Chronicle of Higher Education’s rankings of public U.S. campuses with the greatest success in lifting low-income students into the middle class. Lehman ranked number two on that list, as well as 37 in “Top Public Schools” and 120 in the 2019 edition of “Best Colleges in Regional Universities North.” However, with the projected increase in student fees, Lehman could lose its top ranking in the list of affordable public colleges in the U.S.
“I attended a CUNY school for convenience,” said Monroe. “Its location and cost were and continue to be most ideal for me. This news is disappointing but not surprising. I feel our economy is in a period of inflation and students and educators have begun to feel the effects.”
“I was attending a private school but transferred over to Lehman College because CUNY schools are supposed to be cheaper right now,” Nunez said. “I’m not paying tuition out of pocket but I do feel like it will be a burden to most students that have to.”
