March 18, 2003

Board Approves New Student Pricing, Increases Financial Aid to $109 Million

By Bob Ludwig

With the approval of tuition pricing for the 2003–04 academic year,
the Board of Trustees last month also gave the green light to a $13 million increase in financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students, bringing the University’s total commitment for aid to more than $109 million.

“We face a two-fold challenge in the next academic year,” said President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. “We must be sensitive to the economic climate affecting our families and the University while also continuing to build on our academic strengths and providing first-rate campus services.”

Additional funding also has been earmarked for enhancing University services, including increased investments in student-life activities, technology, and campus safety and security programs.

As part of the University’s strategic plan to bolster academic excellence, funds will be dedicated to establish a new writing program for undergraduates and for additional increases in aid targeted specifically to graduate students.

The plan also calls for increases in funding for the Law School, the University’s Gelman Library, and instructional technology in the classrooms, as well as financial support for a new, federally mandated computerized record-keeping system for international students who attend GW.

To meet the financial obligation of these priorities and the increased cost of operating a comprehensive institution, the board approved a 4.5 percent increase in tuition, fees, room and food allowance for returning undergraduates for the next academic year. New students entering in the fall will see a 5.2 percent increase in tuition, fees, and room and food allowance.

Tuition and fees will increase by 4.5 percent for returning students and 5.5 percent for new students. The room and food allowance increase of 4.5 percent includes a modified meal plan that will give students greater flexibility in determining how their meal plan dollars are spent.

Students who entered the University in Fall 2000 or earlier will pay $28,690 ($38,730 including room and food allowance) next year. The total amount for tuition and fees for new students will be $29,350 ($39,390 including room and food allowance) while those students who entered the University since Fall 2001 will pay $29,070 ($39,110 including room and food allowance).

The board approved an even more modest tuition/fee increase of 3 percent at the graduate level, down from 3.2 percent last year. The Law School tuition increase is 5.3 percent for the 2003–04 academic year. For the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, tuition and fees will increase 4 percent for first year students and 3 percent for second, third, and fourth year students. The blended rate for all tuition increases is 4.4 percent.

 

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