I go to community college, so I have the extreme pleasure of having only to pay $20/unit. At 18 units a semester, that's only $720 every year. Isn't beautiful? But I can only bask in this awesomeness for another semester and a half, because next year I go to a "real" college.
$7038/yr for tuition. I can only shudder at the thought. And upon pondering for an extensive period of time, I really have to know:
What the hell I am paying for?
Well, I am here to help. Walk with me as I lay out as much as I could find. However, there is one thing to note: all data presented is from 1995. Sorry, but for some reason, there isn't much stuff for the present and a-helluva-lot for that year.
As UCLA is a number one choice for most of us here at this community college, it shall be my example. 25,464 students were enrolled in 1995. On average, everyone payed $3893 every year. Multiply these together, and you get $99,131,352 (1). Well, 99 million dollars is a pretty hefty some of money, so here's where it goes:
Teachers. We all love 'em, we all hate 'em. But...they gotta get paid. And there were 1048 staff members on campus getting payed an average of $59,390 a year. Combine the numbers, $62,240,720 (2).
What we have left is $36,890,632. Since things get a bit hazy here because UCLA does not post any of its expenditures online, we must pull a Dumbledore and infer a bit.
Utilities. Gas, electricity, water. Most university buildings are at least three times larger than our households, and we all know how much we like our AC.
Projects. New buildings, fields, equipment, maintanence. Not only do we pay for these things for our own benefit, but for the enjoyment of generations to come.
Students. Scholarships, sports equipment, student activities and clubs. Believe it or not, they want to help out.
Saving. Obviously, UCLA does not spend every penny it earns. If they did, how could they have afforded the $1.89 billion dollar spending plan for the 1995-1996 school year budget (3)?
However, I had to find all these facts (some I just gave up trying to find) the hard way. UCLA only puts how much you need to pay on their website. What about us students who want to know where our or our parent's money is going? If only all colleges could be so useful in that respect. I love to learn, but $7000+ to do it is just too much. Give me a reason.
I want to know where the hell my money is going.
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(1) http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ccs/edinfos/edinfo15.html
I have wondered the same thing myself.
The truth that sucks is that, people will always need to go to college. The times these days, everything is a competition. You have to do better than the last person, and to do that you have to college. So, they can pretty much raise their prices as high as they want, and people will still continue to go, because they pretty much have to. Otherwise making a living will be a long and difficult process.
I GO TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE ALSO AND I AM TAKING 12 CREDITS THIS SEMESTER AND MY TUITION WAS $1660! iT IS DIFFERENT IN EVERY STATE BASED ON HOW MUCH PROPERTY TAXES ARE WHERE YOU LIVE. IN MY STATE THEY ARE LOW SO THAT RISES THE TUITION RATE AND VIS VERSA IF YOUR PROPERTY TAXES ARE HIGH. YET AND STILL THIS IS WHY A LOT OF UNDERPRIVEDGED YOUTH DONT ATTEND SECONDARY SCHOOLING. Brenda Cherie
Come now, ALL CAPS? Let us evolve a little into the intellectual humans that we are and type like we have half a brain.
Anywho... I don't know the details, but in CA, the tuition isn't so bad at community college and can be pretty traumatic at higher levels. Is it really based on property tax - that would explain a lot...
Whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing. - Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
The higher tuition for UCs as compared to a Cal State might have something to do with the fact that UCs are research universities, although most of the research dollars come from outside sources. But the faculty at a research university make a lot more money than faculty at Cal States because they are extremely well-qualified/ world-renowned.
But, yeah, if college was free, everyone would be way happier and way more-educated.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
I have to pay almost 30,000 a year for my school tuition. i know where it goes. THis campus is freaking beautiful and has free facilities. I think that since we do pay so much we need free laundry facilities!!!!!
College is too damn expensive not to have free laundry!
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK