On March 14th, 2022, a letter was written announcing the raising of tuition at Saint Xavier University; however, most of the student body, to my knowledge, was unaware of this until recently.
A letter was sent to families from the soon-to-be former president of SXU, Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D., that the Board of Trustees has decided to raise tuition for undergraduate students for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The letter states, “After much consideration about the economic environment, the needs of our student population and Saint Xavier’s responsibility to provide high-quality educational experiences to support clear college-to-career pathways, the board approved raising full-time undergraduate tuition for 2023-2024 by 3 percent (3%), representing an increase of $1,040 over last year.”
Another letter states that nursing students’ tuition is also being raised by 3%, which increases their tuition by $1,100.
As someone who is on scholarship at SXU, one of the main factors in my choosing to attend this school was the cost; however, I have been told this tuition increase affects those students on scholarships.
In my opinion, I do not feel as though I am being treated fairly because I was awarded an academic scholarship, but suddenly I have to pay more despite my hardworking efforts to receive the original amount I was promised.
What is even more upsetting is the letter does not mention scholarships at all. So, I tried emailing my financial aid advisor and the financial aid office, and they both sent me emails pointing me to each other, giving no real answer.
This tuition increase puts stress on the students. How will they find this money on such short notice? Will they be able to stay in school?
Students who are involved on campus have people to go to about these issues. There are people who can answer these questions for them, at least to some extent. There are staff members, too, to who they can vent and express grievances to, but what about the average Saint Xavier University student?
How will the university reach out to support these students who do not have the same opportunities as more involved students with connections on campus?
While it is a small dollar amount, it is still a substantial amount of money to a student. SXU prides itself on being affordable, but it seems like this is starting to change. Who is to tell if soon it is going to be more than a 3% income in the coming year if SXU sees they can get away with this increase? This is much more stressful than a student needs to already worry about.