The Observer, December 2, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12
Free Speech Zone: Rationalizing the 2006-2007 tuition increase
To the Editor:
Case Western Reserve University has developed a tuition plan for the next academic year, and I would like to share this information and the rationale on which the plan is based. In determining tuition rates, we proceeded from the understanding that the university has arrived at a distinct point in its history. We are building on the faculty's commitment to undergraduate education and the general student experience in a research-intensive university. SAGES, The Village at 115, and the Freedman Center are a few examples of Case's increasingly vibrant academic, athletic, and student life environment. We all feel the new energy on campus.
We are committed to moving forward with further investments in undergraduate programs and facilities, much of which will be funded from tuition, room and board, and other fees. The full-time undergraduate tuition rate for next year (fall 2006) will rise in a two-tiered fashion. For students entering Case in fall 2005 or earlier, the rate for next year will total $30,240, an increase of 6.48 percent over the current year. For next fall's first-year incoming students, the rate will be $31,090, which represents a 9.47 percent increase over the current year's rate. Our need-based financial aid packages will be adjusted accordingly. The higher tuition for next year's incoming class is a recognition that these students will benefit from the new Case experience for all four years of their undergraduate careers. It also reduces the increase we would have to pass on to continuing students. Even with this increase in tuition for first-year students, Case's tuition for 2006-2007 remains below that of many of our peer schools.
We take very seriously the matter of tuition increases and the challenges they present to our students and their families. However, we remain committed to continually investing in our undergraduate programs – for example, SAGES and our undergraduate research initiative, SOURCE.
A letter discussing tuition is being mailed to the homes of our current undergraduates. Also, I will be hosting a forum to discuss the tuition increase. It will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Great Room of The Village at 115's House 4. You may also contact our student affairs office at 368-2020, e-mail tuition2006@case.edu, or visit the tuition website we've established at http://www.case.edu/news/tuition/ for more information.
John L. Anderson
Provost and University Vice President
