The cost of college increases each year and Monmouth College is no exception with an average tuition rate of about $39,000. Attending college costs a lot for many reasons. Due to the need for renovations and basic college fees, tuition-driven schools like Monmouth only stay financially stable through the payment of students. “The cost to renovate Grier was a couple million dollar project, but the benefits of attracting in more students makes it necessary” said Holly Tharp, Monmouth College Assistant Controller. But unfortunately if the buildings are renovated they do cost more. Also when Stockdale was renovated it was a 2 year project through Aramark that cost $750,000 according to the Monmouth website. The building was not only renovated in general, but TV’s and signs were added in both up and downstairs. Even though these are sponsored projects other costs such as electricity rise from year to year meaning tuition must also rise to meet additional costs. The school especially functions off the costs we pay for dorm life and basic campus fees. Depending on the style of dorm you have the costs are about $3,000 and all meal plans are about $1,800. Then there are smaller fees to help fund the school such as the $100 parking pass fee or the $150 health center fee to help keep the center going. Lately, with the student population dropping, the school has hit some rough patches. Dean of Faculty Mark Wilhardt said that 42 faculty and staff members were let go in order to stay within the school’s tight budget. Since Monmouth is a tuition driven school when they get into rough times they can increase tuition to help make up for losses. Even though looking at bills coming in can be a hard pill to swallow, at the end of the day with a society that romanticizes the idea of having an education, it’s important to pay now to be successful in the future.
Ashley Grothaus – Contributing Writer
