Whittier College Announces First Tuition Increase in Four Years
The cost of higher education just got higher. Whittier College has announced that it will be increasing tuition by 2.99 percent starting Fall 2024. This comes after the College froze tuition during the 2020–2021 academic year, an initiative made by former President Linda Oubré.
The College, through the Office of the President, announced this change via email to the Whittier College community on Feb. 28. The email states that during their February meeting, the Board of Trustees “reviewed financial projections and approved a modest increase to tuition, fees, room and board for the 2024–25 academic year.” This is in part because of the US consumer price index increasing by 20 percent, making other institutions also raise their tuition.
Specifically, tuition will now cost $51,150, with standard annual room and board rates being an additional $16,090. This is a $2,226 increase from the previous year; tuition currently costs $48,924, with additional room and board fees at $15,623. The College states that this increase is “well below the cumulative impact of inflation over recent years.” Continuing students will be expected to check their MyWhittier Financial Aid portal during the summer to see changes in their tuition.
President Kristine Dillon called a meeting with the Associated Students of Whittier College (ASWC or Senate) prior to the announcement. Dillon also had a meeting with Senate President Duncan Smith on Monday, relaying the information to him. Smith states that he has been hearing “a lot of things in the works about [tuition] since last Fall.” He goes on to say how colleges in Whittier’s peer group have been increasing their tuition over the past four years, some by even 20 percent. Smith speaks about how Whittier is still “more on the affordable side” because the College has not increased tuition in recent years. He also states that President Dillon is “responsible” for ensuring that the increase is not more than 2.99 percent. “Certain members of the Board — who were not named to me — had proposals for as much as five percent, which would have been pretty significant.”
Ultimately, Smith views the increase in tuition as a positive for the College because of how beneficial it is in the long-run. “The money is mainly going to three different places: small but somewhat substantial raises to our faculty, which is incredibly important; increased financial aid to compensate for the increased tuition; and more funding for on-campus employment.” Smith and the College are looking for ways to keep students on-campus more, so an increase in work-study jobs helps.
Smith does understand that there are people who will be negatively impacted by the increase, but he assures that there are “safeguards in place for our low-income, high-risk students to ensure that they can still afford to go [to Whittier].” He also notes that he is not “expecting another tuition increase next year, or any time that any current students are here,” but he does not fully know what the future may look like. Smith goes on to say that the Senate is planning a meeting where President Dillon and Financial Aid staff are present to answer questions and listen to concerns.
The Quaker Campus reached out to the Office of Financial Aid and their press liaison, Patti Waid for questions and clarification. The Office referred us to Waid, who has not immediately responded. (Editor’s Note: As of 3/2/2024, the Quaker Campus and Waid are now in talks.)
Along with the increase, donations and earnings from the College’s endowment will help “address inflationary impacts on the compensation of valued faculty and staff, which have implications for the hiring and retention of talented individuals,” along with compensation, programs for teaching and learning, and maintenance of facilities. See “Are Faculty Being Paid Enough?” on the Quaker Campus Medium page if you would like to read more about the faculty pay wage.
Despite the increases, Whittier College will “provide increased aid to those with the greatest financial need,” including offering more funds for on-campus jobs, especially to those who do not qualify for work study. The Whittier College website states that 85 percent of students receive work study. See “Where Did Whittier’s Work Study Go?” on the Quaker Campus Medium page if you would like to read more about the current state of work-study at Whittier College.
This increase comes after four years of “frozen tuition,” put into place by Oubré and the Board of Trustees on Jan. 14, 2020. This decision was created in order to “remove barriers to higher education and reduce students’ debt load.” Prior to this, the College increased tuition annually by roughly three percent.
In a recent survey sent on Instagram by the Quaker Campus, one anonymous student noted how they feel “scared” because of the increased tuition. Another person says that they feel “absolutely dreadful, especially as an international student.” When asked if the tuition increase would impact them going to Whittier College, it was a 50/50 split between “yes” and “no.”
The College states, “We understand the investment you are making in your own and your family’s future, and we remain committed to providing an exceptional educational experience to all of our students.”
If you have any questions in regards to increased tuition and/or financial aid, you can email the Office of Financial Aid at fao@whittier.edu or call them at 562.907.4285.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Henderson / Quaker Campus
Edit on 3/2/2024 at 11:00 am: The press liaison’s last name is spelled Waid, not Wade. The Quaker Campus regrets this error.
