UW idea would hike its tuition
OLYMPIA – University of Washington officials are considering a new “Robin Hood” approach that could double tuition for the wealthiest students while offering more generous financial aid to those who need it.
In-state tuition for undergraduates now costs $5,100 at the UW.
“Going to $10,000 may not be a crazy thing to do over a period of time,” UW President Mark Emmert told the Seattle Times.
University officials have talked to state lawmakers and Gov. Christine Gregoire about the idea, which is not yet a formal proposal. If tuition doubled over the next few years, Emmert said, students from wealthy families would pay the full amount while students from middle- and low-income families would pay less, on a sliding scale according to income.
Some top legislative leaders are skeptical about such a dramatic change. But Gregoire said the idea is worth studying.
“It’s one model,” Gregoire said. “It’s one we ought to look at. Whether that’s the right one for our state, I don’t know. But it’s one I think we absolutely ought to put on the table and chew on.”
No other state universities have expressed interest in the plan, which would make UW tuition more similar to private schools.
“Higher tuition really does affect who goes to school and where they go,” said Lane Rawlins, president of Washington State University. Rawlins said he prefers to keep tuition low. Andrew Bodman, provost of Western Washington University, agreed, saying his university’s goal is to make college more affordable.
The flagship of Washington’s public higher education system, the UW is also one of the top research universities in the nation.
University of Washington officials have complained for years that the school is not getting enough money from the state to maintain academic excellence. All Washington state colleges get their money from a combination of state tax dollars and tuition. Last year, the university spent $16,283 per full-time student.
Over the years, politicians and academic leaders have proposed giving the state colleges and universities their own tuition-setting authority. But the Legislature has consistently rejected that idea, saying the state can’t let tuition get too expensive.
The new approach UW leaders are considering is similar to the tuition policy used by Miami University of Ohio. A public university, Miami increased its tuition from $9,150 to $19,730 two years ago. The higher tuitions help pay for scholarships for poorer in-state students. Each Ohio state student automatically gets a $5,000 scholarship and can qualify for financial aid ranging from $5,000 to $6,200, based on need and merit.
“The tuition plan looks and feels like the plan private universities have where they have high tuition but they also have very generous financial aid,” said James Garland, president of Miami University.
Garland said results from the first year were encouraging. Enrollment by students who were the first in their families to attend college increased by 40 percent, for example.