Where does our tuition money go?

There are a lot of things that students need to pay for in college: tuition, room and board, and books. Not to mention everything is much more expensive as the threat of an economic recession stares us right in the face.

As college students, we feel the pressure of high external expenses as well as the internal ones.

When filling out the FAFSA, applying for scholarships and taking on work study positions and other outside jobs to cover the cost, students have one question: where do our tuition dollars go?

The annual tuition cost of Mount Union College is $23,000, and the cost of room and board is an additional $7,000.

Patrick Heddleston, vice president of Business Affairs and treasurer of the business office, reports that the college's annual budget is $40 million, and 60% of the budget comes from students' tuition, and 20% comes out of room and board.

The remaining 20% is covered through endowments and alumni giving.

So, what specific expenses does our tuition money cover? The budget is broken down into three categories: salary/benefits, maintainance/utilities, and other miscellaneous expenses.

The bulk of our tuition money is used to pay Mount Union faculty and staff. That money which remains is then divided up between maintenance/utilities and miscellaneous expenses.

So, what do other private schools like Mount Union College charge students each year for their tuition and room and board?

Baldwin-Wallace College's tuition, (including room and board), is around 31,000, Otterbein is around $33,000, John Caroll is around $36,000, Ohio Northern is around $39,000, and College of Wooster is around $42,000 a year.

It is important to note that Mount Union is at the lower end of this list.

It is also important to remember that Mount Union does attempt to minimize student expenses through endowments, donations, and alumni giving.

Some of the things that make private schools and, particularly Mount Union, attractive are the high-quality education and highly qualified faculty, small class sizes, and state-of-the-art residence halls as well as other areas on campus.

Though there is a high financial cost to attend Mount Union College, it seems to many that the benefits of such an education and experience far outweigh that cost in the end.

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