Logging onto Tiger i to pay an eBill gives students a glimpse into how much it takes to receive an education at Auburn University. Nevertheless, tuition is only a portion of what students pay, and the rates aren’t static.
Michael Reynolds, executive director of Student Financial Services, said part of tuition is distributed across the different colleges and schools, depending on aspects such as instruction and salaries.
Tuition rates, along with rates for housing, dining, transit and other services go through the Board of Trustees for approval.
“I know one thing that is the goal is to keep us on a level playing field so that we’re providing the level of services that our students expect — the type of instruction, the type of classroom, the type of technology,” Reynolds said. “That is the philosophy of the board. The board doesn’t necessarily like to increase tuition. They do it to the level that they have to do it to keep all things created equal.”
The Board of Trustees, for example, determines the dining plan to offer students more services and to ensure on-campus and off-campus students use the dining facilities.
“It wouldn’t be in place if we didn’t feel it was important for the students to make Auburn the ultimate college experience, quite frankly,” Reynolds said. “It’s for the benefit of the students.”
State appropriation is significant in altering the tuition rate each year, according to Reynolds.
“There’s tuition, which is based on what the board votes on — a per-hour rate of tuition — and, generally, it will go up every year to some extent,” Reynolds said. “Generally, you can count on no more than 5 percent. The board really does not like double-digit increases. It’s pretty consistent.”
Reynolds said tuition has increased by approximately 3-4 percent in the past few years.
“Anytime the budget is less than what it was the year before, which it always is, then we go into something called proration, because it’s proration of the budget,” Reynolds said. “So there’s a built-in fee of $200 that makes that up.”
Besides tuition, Reynolds said many of the student fees are self-assessed, and students come to the Board of Trustees with resolutions.
For example, students asked for a fee for the Student Center.
“That’s your building because you’re paying for it,” Reynolds said.
Rex Huffman, manager of transit services, said student fees for the transit go toward paying for the continuation of the services.
“We have a contract with First Transit,” Huffman said. “That’s our vendor. It’s a turnkey contract, meaning we pay them an hourly rate to rob us currently $63.98 every hour a bus is in operation. We run about 600 hours a day in support of Auburn University. That’s what the transit fee goes toward.”
The student fee doesn’t cover the hourly rate, so they provide charter services to help with the cost, according to Huffman.
“Most students have the misconception that their fee — their piece of tuition — covers everything,” Huffman said. “Well, no.”
Virginia Koch, director of Residence Life, said housing is a part of Auxiliary Services.
“We do get money from all the room rentals, and that basically makes up the budget for our day-to-day operations,” Koch said. “But there are other ways the University gets money — through bonds and other funding things, either through the state or elsewhere that also come into play.”
According to Reynolds, these decisions are made to maintain high-quality services and academics.
“Anytime you’re talking about money, no one wants an increase, but what … can lessen the pain of that increase is if you understand what you’re getting from it,” Reynolds said. “We’re not like other schools that are trying to increase enrollment. We know what produces the best students that we’re putting out into the workforce, and we’re happy with that. But, with that, we know what level of services and academic levels that we have to be at to maintain the high quality, successful student.”
Check ThePlainsman.com for Board of Trustees coverage Friday, April 17.
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