Thursday, March 13, 2003

College Announces Tuition Increase For 2003-2004 Academic Year


Chestertown, MD, March 13, 2003 — Washington College has announced a $1,500 rise in the cost of tuition for full-time students for the 2003-2004 academic year. The increase brings the total cost of tuition to $24,240 per year, or 5% over total charges for the current year. The new tuition rate will be affective for the 2003-2004 academic year beginning this fall.
The College's Board of Visitors and Governors approved the tuition increase at its February meeting. All of the increase has been applied to the cost of tuition ($24,240) with basic charges for Room ($2,600) and Board ($3,140), and the Student Fee ($560), being held constant.
"Recent months have brought much news in the regional and national media regarding public colleges and universities instituting increases in tuition charges," said Dr. John S. Toll, President of Washington College. "Like those institutions, the same economic pressures affect us, but we anticipate that our percentage increase in total charges will be considerably lower than that at many institutions. In fact, the University System of Maryland was forced to institute a mid-year increase in tuition of 5% at most campuses, with more likely to come, and many independent colleges and universities have already announced plans to increase charges by 7% or more for the coming year. Although our 5% increase is hardly welcome news, we hope that in the larger context it will be viewed as a determination on our part to keep increases as low as possible without forcing the institution to cut core programs and the quality of the education offered to our students."
Although college tuition costs can appear daunting, President Toll noted, he assures prospective students and their parents that Washington College's Office of Student Financial Aid stands ready to counsel students and their families on opportunities for scholarships and loans.

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