SUNY schools tuition

[MsPurtell]

I recently heard that NY state is going to be funding SUNY med schools less, so the schools are anticipating large tuition hikes to cover costs. I'm wondering therefore if the same is true for SUNY dental schools. Has anyone heard this???

Thanks, Margaret <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

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[groundhog]

MsPurtell,
What you are hearing is a wave started by U of Michigan and U of Virginia that is beginning to impact the strategic budget plans of many public universities across the nation. Here is the deal. Public universities are competing for state tax dollars against an increasing number of other pubic interests. Most public universities consider their primary function to be that of offering a low cost bachelor's degree program to state citizens. The premier professional degree programs (med, dent, law) are being targeted for large tuition increases for two reasons. THe first is political. Many people are wondering why the educations of doctors, dentists, and lawyers should be heavily subsidized by state tax payers when those who graduate from such programs will earn incomes way above the national average.
The second is economic. There is more demand for the professional school openings than ther is supply. U of Michigan and U of Virginia have proven that they can still fill thier premier professional school slots with outstanding candidates even after raising tuition costs for those programs to levels charged by the private universities. Hope that helps explain the rumors your are hearing.

 

[MsPurtell]

Are they really rumors though groundhog? Someone on the allopathic board posted that one SUNY med school's tuition is jumping from 10K to 13K by next year. A friend's tuition (downstate) went up by 1K from this past fall semester to the spring semester. The students are outraged because their loan amounts had already been calculated for the whole year. They must come up with the 1K on their own.

 

[groundhog]

Well "rumor" may not have been the best word I could have chosen. Significant tuition increases for med, dent, and law students are being "seriously explored" by budget committes of public universities across the nation. By the way, that possible $25,000 annual tuition for SUNY med students that you mentioned in the allopathic forum would be in line with U of Mich which I believe is about $28,000. I believe such significant increases at the state flagship public universities is a cat out of the bag and will only gain momentum. The big state universities want to be free from state micromanagement of their budgets and are offering to be held accountable for raising their own revenues in return for the freedom. Med, dent, and law school tuition increases are a part of that mix for the reasons explained earlier.

 

[Thebeyonder]

I know from reading the newspaper that Uconn health center has run up huge budget deficits in the past year. I am assuming that increases in the medical education will be forthcoming.

 

[MsPurtell]

UConn, too? Good grief! I wonder if they will first start with not allowing out-of-staters to become state residents after a year. There's a 13K tuition difference! I guess we never know what'll happen.

Tuition increases, should they happen, should really only be applied to new students, not students already enrolled in the medical/dental program. We need to know what to expect so we can plan appropriately.

 

[groundhog]

One positive thing that I have heard about UCONN is that they factor living expense allowances (housing, food, and transportation) into their financial aid formula that are quite generous when compared to most other public medical/dental schools.

 

[MsPurtell]

Indeed, UConn is generous! They are giving me a 10K Dean's Scholarship which I'm thrilled about. I heard they are often equally as generous in subsequent years.