Study: University more expensive than average

A recent College Board report shows that despite a tuition freeze earlier this year, attending school in College Park is several thousand dollars more expensive than the national average for public universities.

Students here pay on average $4,000 more for tuition, fees, and room and board and 34 percent more in tuition and fees alone, the study showed. The disparity in costs from other state schools could pose problems for recently elected state candidates who have made tuition affordability a priority, because they would have to bridge such large gaps from the national average.

University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan defended the high tuition rates, saying the state has traditionally underfunded higher education. Without the recent tuition increases, he said, the quality of education would diminish substantially.

"Historically, Maryland has not supported higher education at the level of several other states," Kirwan said. "We're working with a base of funding from the state that's probably in the bottom quartile in terms of state investment. As a result, Maryland has to rely more on tuition and fees to deliver quality education."

While the average cost of tuition and fees at four-year public universities for both semesters this year is $5,836, students at this university pay $7,821, according to the study of 2,700 colleges and universities. And students here pay $8,421 in room and board, where the average college student pays only $6,960.

Though the current state of Maryland tuition isn't affordable, Kirwan said the outlook is improving. Two years ago, funding for higher education increased 6 percent, and last year it increased 15 percent - well above the average increase in other states, he said. And according to the University System of Maryland website, funding to Maryland's colleges and universities has increased by $59 million since 2004.

"[High tuition is] something we hope we can change," Kirwan said. "We're on a very positive trend ... based on the investments of the past two years."

In March, Gov. Robert Ehrlich allocated funds in the state budget to ensure a tuition freeze this year for public colleges and universities. In that budget, $18 million was shifted specifically to support revenue loss from the freeze. That freeze came after a 40 percent increase in tuition in four years.

Though tuition costs are far above the national average, room and board costs are quite appropriate, Kirwan said. Comparing the university's room and board costs - which is affected by the high construction costs in an urban area - with those of schools that are both urban and rural is unfair, Kirwan said.

"I think the room and board tends to be more typical of an urban campus," Kirwan said. "If you look at the city, I don't think it's unfair."

Kirwan said comparing pricing at the university with pricing in the College Board study overlooks a major factor - the fact that College Park is a major research university. Better faculty, more sophisticated equipment and better libraries make research universities more expensive to operate, he said.

"I think comparing College Park with the average university is maybe not the best way to get a sense of comparable cost, because you're really comparing apples and oranges," Kirwan said. "But it's still the case that our tuition is higher than it ought to be."

Contact reporter Raquel Christie at christiedbk@gmail.com.