The price of college has many students at Eastern Michigan University concerned for their education. While EMU is one of the more affordable of the state universities in Michigan, some students feel that it may not be that way for long.
“I think it’s gone up in the two years I’ve been here,” said Neil Tortonesi, a sophomore majoring in electronic media and film. “I had a Pell Grant and FAFSA, but I still would have to pay $11,000 after the Pell Grants were taken off. With the Pell Grants, it’s $5,500.”
Eastern Michigan’s recent budgeting issues have students wondering if their tuition money really is being spent wisely.
“The fact that we spent $13 million on a football field and people wonder why Eastern is in debt,” Tortonesi said. “How are 22,000 people spending all this money and asking ‘where is it going?’ What’s the point? Why isn’t the university being more truthful about this?”
“After seeing what they did to the sports teams, I think they could be better with their budgeting,” said Josh Young, a sophomore majoring in marketing.
“It’s definitely not feasible for students to go to school full time, and pay for it,” Carolyn Lammers, a sophomore majoring in clinical lab sciences, said.
While many students do feel that Eastern Michigan is raising its tuition, other students are still optimistic about the situation.
“They are definitely doing a lot,” said Lammers. “I think they have a lot of merit based scholarships.”
Sarah Dolohanty, a sophomore majoring in marketing, is a member of Forensics, a competitive public speaking club that offers scholarships to its members.
“You have to put the work in,” said Dolohanty. “I put in 12 hours a week in this. You can’t just join just for the money.”
While there are students at Eastern who feel the university is slowly becoming overpriced, there are others who feel that the university is reasonably priced, and that the scholarship options offered here are helpful to students who want to get a good education.
“Our tuition is much easier to attain and afford compared to other public universities in Michigan,” Lammers said.
The current cost of attending Eastern Michigan University as of the 2017-2018 academic year is $22,762, compared to $29,526 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Even with the current issues facing Eastern Michigan’s budget, many students still agree that it is worth it to go to and pay for college.
“There are larger universities, and they are able to charge more,” Dolohanty said.
“It’s a fair price. It’s no different to other universities that are similar,” said Young. “Overall, I like the school.”
