Rising operating costs and new student-focused
initiatives have led trustees to increase next
year's tuition for full-time undergraduates at Homewood by
5 percent. Tuition for 2008-2009 will be
$37,700, up $1,800 from this year's $35,900.
The increase, which is less than this year's 5.9
percent hike of $2,000, applies to the nearly
4,600 full-time undergraduates in the Krieger School of
Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of
Engineering.
The board of trustees approved the new charges at its
December meeting, along with next
year's tuition for all other Johns Hopkins full-time and
part-time programs.
The university in fiscal year 2008 increased slightly
to fifth in tuition rate among a group of 17
peer institutions that includes the entire Ivy League and
universities such as MIT, Stanford, Chicago,
Duke and Georgetown.
Fred Puddester, senior associate dean for finance and
administration for the School of Arts
and Sciences, said there continues to be only modest
variation in tuition levels among JHU's peer
institutions, with the majority of the pack less than $700
apart.
Kristina Johnson, provost and senior vice president
for academic affairs, said that the cost of a
Johns Hopkins education--and how it affects the makeup of
the student body--is one of the most
pressing issues facing the university.
"Johns Hopkins is committed to diversity, including
socioeconomic diversity," she said. "We want
to continue to attract the best and brightest students,
which is a driver behind initiatives like the
Baltimore Scholars program that ensures that any student
graduating from a Baltimore City public
high school who is qualified to attend Johns Hopkins can
afford to."
"Another important issue," she said, "is continuing to
attract the best and brightest faculty to
teach our students."
Puddester said that part of what is driving up tuition
is increased operating costs, a factor with
which many colleges and universities are having to deal,
and a host of new student-focused services
and initiatives that do not have permanent funding.
Initiatives at the Homewood schools include the
creation of a Study Abroad Office and the formation of a
separate Office of Student Disability
Services to meet the demands of a growing population of
students with special needs.
In 2007, the Higher Education Price Index, which
measures the inflation rate applicable to
colleges and universities, increased by 3.8 percent for
private doctoral degree-granting institutions.
Comparatively, the Consumer Price Index increased by 2.6
percent over the same period. The HEPI
rate takes into account such factors as faculty salaries,
laboratory expenses and utility costs.
At Homewood, "typical" room and board charges
increased from $6,340 to $6,618, and those
for a 19-meal plan from $4,752 to $4,960. The estimated
cost of books and personal expenses has
been increased to $2,200.
Puddester said that the school's other sources of
income have grown at a flat or modest rate,
while expenses were increasing at rates in excess of the
index. In particular, the Homewood schools
faced a sharp rise in expenses that are not reflected in
the HEPI index, such as security and new
buildings.
Net tuition has grown much more moderately, especially
in real terms, as financial aid has
increased. Vincent Amoroso, director of the Office of
Student Financial Services, said that the
schools will continue to look for new opportunities, if
possible, to increase the allocation to financial
aid.
For many undergraduates, financial aid will cut the
actual cost of next year's education at Johns
Hopkins to well below the "annual cost of attendance."
Amoroso said that among Homewood
undergraduate families who qualify for financial aid, the
median cost of attendance is typically half
the "sticker price." For students with family incomes below
$40,000, aid covers most of the cost of
attendance.
About 45 percent of Homewood undergraduates received
some form of need-based aid in 2007-
2008, with 40 percent receiving grant assistance from
university funding. Financial assistance from all
sources--university funds, federal grants and loans, and
private or other aid--is roughly $63.3 million.
The university also has been increasing the grant
portion of financial aid packages and reducing
loans. Last year's seniors graduated with an average
$18,500 in student loan debt, a number below the
national figure.
Elsewhere in the university, full-time undergraduates
at the Peabody Conservatory will pay
annual tuition of $33,000 in the fall, up 5.1 percent from
this year. Tuition at the School of Nursing
for all degree programs increased by 5.8 percent, as did
tuition levels at the School of Public Health.
Part-time undergraduate tuitions in Engineering, Nursing
and the summer program in Arts and
Sciences will increase by varying amounts, up to 6 percent.
Changes vary as well, according to
programs, for the schools of Medicine and Education, SAIS
and the Carey Business School.
For a listing of all 2008-2009 tuitions and financial
aid statistics, go to the Information About
Hopkins page at
webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/information_about_hopkins
and click on "JHU Facts and Stats."
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