Serious Blow to Higher Education in the District of Columbia
Over the past decade the average tuition and fees at state-operated colleges and universities nationwide have increased by more than 50 percent. But at the University of the District of Columbia, fees had not increased even by one dollar. This is about to change.
Next fall, residents of the District will see tuition rise from $1,260 to $1,605 per semester. This is an increase of 27 percent. The next year, the tuition charges will increase to $1,885 per semester, an increase of nearly 50 percent in two years.
In making the announcement, President William Lawrence Pollard said, "Education is like anything else you buy. You get what you pay for."
More than 81 percent of the undergraduate students at the University of the District of Columbia are black. Undoubtedly, these large fee increases will be a financial hardship to many of them. It is likely that hundreds of black students will drop out or choose not to enroll in the first place because of the higher fees.
Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.