Florida State OTR: Tuition Increases at Florida Colleges Mean it's Time to get Thrifty

Tuition Increases at Florida Colleges Mean it's Time to get Thrifty

Posted by NoleGirl 11/21/2008 12:04 PM
Category: Tags: recession, charlie crist, florida schools, tution increase, thrifty

A proposal was just made by Governor Crist allowing for an increase in tuition at FSU & other Florida universities. Although Florida has incredibly reasonable tuition compared to other public schools, this would still be a hard hit to the wallet in already trying economic times.

The increase in tuition is supposed to fund the salaries of professors and smaller class sizes. Still, I'm sure our tuition money will be used for other totally useless projects as well.

This ruling would allow universities to raise tuition by 15% a year... great. To those with Bright Futures scholarships who think they're off the hook, the outlook is not good. The scholarship will only cover the base tuition, but not the differential. In addition, 30% of the money made from the raise in price will be set aside for need based scholarships, but isn't everyone struggling right now?

So, now that we have a raise in tuition to look forward to, here are some suggestions for saving some cash. College expenses really add up so every little bit helps:

Campus food locations are offering $5 drink cups that can be refilled with soda, tea, or coffee for $0.99 at the on campus Food Court, Einsteins, Quizno's & Starbucks!
Most clubs and bars offer reduced cover for entrance by 11 or Midnight. Sometimes you can even get banded early & re-enter whenever you want.
Take advantage of the free movies (with a student ID) offered every night at the Student Life Center.
Get together and cook dinners with roommates & friends and chip in a couple bucks each for food supplies.
The dollar stores in town are great for items like cleaning supplies, Christmas decorations, and shampoos on the cheap.
If you want to get away or go home on weekends carpool with friends to cut down on gas prices and for some extra company on the drive.

We're college students, we're inventive, we'll come up with our own ways to beat this awful economic recession.

+ 2 comments

Anonymous says,

The United States' government wants to raise Florida universitiesâ�� tuition, so the total cost of tuition equals the current national average, which is about $6,585 for every thirty credit hours. Currently Florida universities charge less than $4,000 for the same amount of hours. By continuing to increase the tuition, students applying for the Bright Futures Scholarship will be judged more harshly on their qualifications. However, if universities raise their tuition above the base price, students pay the difference out of their own pocket instead of Bright Futures.
As a student at the University of South Florida, raising the costs of Florida tuition is detrimental to my financial status. My family has already had to take out two loans for my first semester at the University of South Florida. I thought my family had enough money to support my college finances; however, to my surprise, attending college costs more than I could ever imagine.
In another perspective there is a great deal of young people who are very intelligent and have immense potential to succeed in college. The only problem for these individuals is that many families do not have enough money to help their children attend a university, earn at least one or more degrees, and further their knowledge and personal experience as an adult. As a result of raising the costs of Florida universitiesâ�� tuition, this action will discourage underprivileged families with children desiring to attend a university and succeed to be something greater than they ever envisioned possible. Posted 12/09/2008 11:06 PMReply

Anonymous says,

The United States' government wants to raise Florida universities â�� tuition, so the total cost of tuition equals the current national average, which is about $6,585 for every thirty credit hours. Currently Florida universities charge less than $4,000 for the same amount of hours. By continuing to increase the tuition, students applying for the Bright Futures Scholarship will be judged more harshly on their qualifications. However, if universities raise their tuition above the base price, students pay the difference out of their own pocket instead of Bright Futures.
As a student at the University of South Florida, raising the costs of Florida tuition is detrimental to my financial status. My family has already had to take out two loans for my first semester at the University of South Florida. I thought my family had enough money to support my college finances; however, to my surprise, attending college costs more than I could ever imagine.
In another perspective there is a great deal of young people who are very intelligent and have immense potential to succeed in college. The only problem for these individuals is that many families do not have enough money to help their children attend a university, earn at least one or more degrees, and further their knowledge and personal experience as an adult. As a result of raising the costs of Florida universitiesâ�� tuition, this action will discourage underprivileged families with children desiring to attend a university and succeed to be something greater than they ever envisioned possible. Posted 12/09/2008 11:07 PMReply