University of Maryland President Wallace Loh announced that student fees
are going to be increased by $166 in the 2012 school year, according to a March news
release.
The increase will bring student fees to $1,653 for the year. This rise in student
fees includes $119 that will go towards technology fees for improvements with the
library and other colleges.
The release refers to the fees as a “modest” increase that won’t affect the
affordability of college. It says the fees are most importantly for library improvement.
Student fees includes the shuttle bus, athletics, student activity, the recreation
building, among other fees, according to the Undergraduate Tuition website.
Tuition is $22,115 for residents of Maryland and $38,530 for out-of-state students
as of the 2010 to 2011 school year.
University of Maryland junior, Kerry Thompson, isn’t thrilled with the increase of
student fees. She doesn’t believe that students directly benefit from the raise and doesn’t
understand why it was necessary.
“It’s really unfair to students because we are told we get all of these things for
free because we’re students, but really we get them because we pay for them,” she said.
University of Maryland Finance major Trey Ames is interested in finding out
what exactly the increase and fees are used for because many students have to actively
look to find out about student fees.
“It’s an 11 percent increase from last year, so I would definitely want to know
what it’s paying for,” he said.
A representative from the University’s Student Fee Review Committee couldn’t
be reached.