New Jersey Universities Pledge Low Tuition

Trenton, NJ (CollegetoCareers.com) – Holding firm against a trend that sees college tuition continue to rise, Rutgers University officials pledged to keep tuition 10 percent below the national average.

The Associated Press reports that the state’s four-year universities plan to follow suit in advance of a budget deal that Gov. Chris Christie plans to pass that would continue to downsize university budgets statewide.

The governor’s budget proposes only $714 million in operating costs for New Jersey colleges – a stunning shortfall in millions of dollars from the amount it offered last year.

Current rates at these universities for in-state students start at approximately $9,000, as with New Jersey City University, and spike at just over $13,500 for other students at the College of New Jersey. Excluding room, board, and other costs, Rutgers University students pay $12,559 in tuition and other costs each year.

This makes any potential spike in tuition frustrating to students who continue to struggle in the wake of the national recession.

According to the AP, several university presidents, including those from Rutgers University and Saint Mont Clair, attended hearings before the state legislature to plead their case for more funds.

Several state senators grabbed the opportunity to grill the officials about policies at their institutions, including enrollment rates for undocumented and illegal immigrants.

Reuters reports that analysts see the move by university officials as a “buck” of the system and conservative trends at-large that would defund important programs and policies for four-year colleges.

At the federal level, the Obama administration’s January budget received flack from the left and the right for the sharp reductions it recommended for the all-important Pell grant – a staple of the financial aid packages upon which so many students depend.

This is what makes the decision by officials at four-year universities in New Jersey so significant. Instead of raising rates to compensate for the shortfall so many institutions feel, Rutgers and other colleges continue to hold back, keeping students in school and preventing their departure from their curricula on the basis of financial need alone.

What do you think about these universities keeping their tuition rates? Feel free to leave your comments below.

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Tags: budget cuts, college budget cuts, college tuition, tuition increases