NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—The majority of Rutgers students say they dislike the continuous increase of tuition rates.
Many students say they chose to attend the university based on its affordability. Instead of paying out-of-state tuition or private institution fees, students say they chose Rutgers due to its low price and financial aid options.
Asiyah Muhammad, a freshmen student, says she chose to attend Rutgers because of its cheaper price tag and proximity to her family. She commutes by car, which allows her to not pay for room and board.
“I chose Rutgers because it was more affordable than the other schools I got accepted into,” says Muhammad. “The only extra fee I pay for is gas, but I usually get some money from my parents.”
While some students have financial support from their parents, others rely on financial aid from the state. Junior student Ratchell Sadovnik transferred to Rutgers because of its comfortable tuition rates. She says Rutgers increasing their prices would undermine the reason she transferred.
“My family is not financially stable enough to pay an increased tuition price,” Sadovnik says. “I transferred to Rutgers to save money, not to pay the same [amount].”
Some students say the increased tuition rates could hinder their chances to attend graduate school. Since they are paying a lot now, students say they will most likely take a gap year to find extra income.
Senior student Helen Pierce says she understands the university is seen as an affordable option for students, but increasing tuition would raise the amount of debt she owes.
“It makes it harder to feasibly go to grad school as soon as I would want,” says Pierce. “With each tuition increase, all I see is more time I have to spend working to pay that off.”
With increases in tuition rates, there are mixed opinions on where the extra money is being invested.
Sadovnik believes that the extra money is being used to pay administrators more money. “I think most of it goes to the people in charge, maybe like 60% [of the extra tuition funds],” she says. “The remaining 40% is probably used for what [Rutgers] say it’s used for like maintenance of the campuses.”
Tanvi Patel, a sophomore student, says she thinks the extra cash is being used for the athletic department.
“I guess they raise prices to make new hospitals for athletes,” says Patel. “They should have made a parking lot on Livingston so commuters can have more room to park.”
Muhammad says Rutgers is increasing their tuition rates because they are greedy. She says the money is being used for unnecessary expenses that do not benefit the university as a whole.
“They’re probably taking the money and using it to pay the president, staff members, unnecessary reconstructions, and renovations for the athletic department,” Muhammad says.
With the ongoing COV-19 pandemic, students say they need the extra cash for essential purchases. With social distancing being practiced, students say they are left unemployed with no steady income.
Patel says the extra money should be used to pay full-time and part-time lecturers. “They should definitely start paying the professors and PTLs more and not the coaches because they’re the ones who are struggling right now,” she says.
Pierce believes the money should be refunded back to the students. “To an extent, the increased tuition price is more than enough for me to move out, buy a house, and be economically stable,” she says.
In the past five years, Rutgers has been continually increasing tuition rates. Here are the tuition increases, according to Rutgers University, Politico and mycentraljersey.com.
- 2020: 0%
- 2019: 2.9%
- 2018: 2.3%
- 2017: 1.85%
- 2016: 1.7%
- 2015: 2.3%
