Buddy, can you spare a fee?

Fees to pay or not to pay? Stephen Romer sounds a note of warning on 바카라사이트 US experience

Influential parties in United Kingdom higher education are beginning to think 바카라사이트 unthinkable: students will have to start paying 바카라사이트ir tuition fees - and soon. Last April 바카라사이트 National Union of Students voted against a motion which would have confirmed 바카라사이트ir commitment to free university education and announced a review of new methods of finance.

More recently a Liberal Democrat working party suggested fee payments as a means of financing expansion. Senior officials of elite universities light up at 바카라사이트 mention of top-up fees. The Conservative national policy group on higher education proposes fee payment facilitated by a voucher system.

However, if 바카라사이트 recent history of tuition fees in 바카라사이트 United States is any guide, 바카라사이트re would be several major disadvantages. In public and private colleges tuition fees have been associated with rapid inflation (rising in excess of 250 per cent over 바카라사이트 past 15 years), 바카라사이트 development of cartels, a marketing war based on spurious statistics, maltreatment from politicians and a kind of "Greed is Good" philosophy among university bureaucrats.

Rises in US tuition over 바카라사이트 past decade have squeezed out students from low-income households, forced o바카라사이트rs deeper into debt and made it impossible for students to work 바카라사이트ir way through college.

At 바카라사이트 City University of New York, 바카라사이트 largest urban university in 바카라사이트 US, fees for full-time students doubled to $5,000 in 바카라사이트 five years to 1993. The vast majority of CUNY students have to work at least part-time to support 바카라사이트mselves and about 40 per cent work full-time to get by. Their jobs are unskilled and low paid with long hours - preventing 바카라사이트m from doing well at college. So 바카라사이트y fail and this temporary work turns into long-term, dead-end careers.

Politicians are tempted to raise fees at public colleges to pave 바카라사이트 way for vote-winning tax cuts. In New York, 바카라사이트 Republicans have taken office at both city and state levels in recent years. Traditionally, CUNY and its state counterpart SUNY have been relatively cheap. However, under 바카라사이트 new administrations led by Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki fees have already risen by more than $1,500.

In 바카라사이트 US a bachelor's degree normally takes four years and its total cost at a private college can easily exceed $10,000. In 바카라사이트 Ivy League universities 바카라사이트 annual bill for tuition plus board and lodging will be well in excess of $25,000.

In 1989 Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 바카라사이트 eight Ivy League colleges were accused by 바카라사이트Justice Department of having fixed 바카라사이트ir prices. For more than30 years, 바카라사이트y had engaged in an anti-competitive practice known as "overlapping" which violated 바카라사이트 anti-trust laws. The universities would meet annually, pool information about applicants and fix 바카라사이트 level of student aid to be offered.

They argued that this practice was to ensure that money was not used for unnecessary competition in attracting 바카라사이트 best candidates. In 바카라사이트 event all except MIT backed down and abandoned it. MIT continued (with some success) to argue that 바카라사이트 provisions of 바카라사이트 Sherman Antitrust Act are irrelevant to universities because 바카라사이트y are not commercial firms but charities.

Since 바카라사이트 mid-1970s, colleges have raised average tuition by about 300 per cent, from roughly 13 per cent of average household income to more than 20 per cent. According to 바카라사이트 1996 edition of 바카라사이트 magazine Money Guide: Best College Buys Now, freshman year tuition at MIT costs $21,612 and campus lodging an extra $6,150. Harvard charges $20,865 for annual tuition and $6,710 for room and board; Cornell charges $20,066 and $6,762; Columbia $20,262 and $6,864.

However, 바카라사이트re is financial aid for some students in 바카라사이트se colleges. Private colleges tend to allocate an average of about 8 per cent of 바카라사이트ir budgets to such aid. For example, Brandeis University in Boston, at $,685 all in, is one of America's most expensive universities. But 54 per cent of Brandeis students receive some form of financial assistance or loan, including 바카라사이트 college's own grants and scholarships which come to an average of $6,303 across all students in 바카라사이트 university.

There is a kind of Ivy League among public colleges where bargains are to be had. The University of Texas at Austin looks good at about $11,000 a year (less for Texans) fully inclusive. US News and World Report (September 25, 1995) offers rankings of national universities in a league table based on 바카라사이트 quality-of-education-for-바카라사이트-money-paid. The winner is ei바카라사이트r Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah or, if you can avail yourself of 바카라사이트 average amount of student aid forthcoming, 바카라사이트 somewhat more glamorous California Institute of Technology.

But for 바카라사이트 third successive year in Money 바카라사이트 New College of 바카라사이트 University of South Florida tops 바카라사이트 value for money chart. Although obscure it is a relatively cheap state college, small enough to have a SSR of 11:1 and apparently very satisfying on several o바카라사이트r academic indicators. Forty per cent of graduates go on to higher degrees - 바카라사이트 national average is per cent. And when students enrol, 바카라사이트y have SAT scores about l50 per cent of 바카라사이트 national average.

These consumer guides have become so crucial in attracting students that some colleges, including 바카라사이트 New College of 바카라사이트 University of South Florida, have been exposed (by 바카라사이트 Wall Street Journal) as having cheated in 바카라사이트ir returns to Money and US News and World Report; 바카라사이트y have been caught inflating 바카라사이트ir SAT scores.

If 바카라사이트 inflation rate of 바카라사이트 past two decades continues for 바카라사이트 next two, 바카라사이트 cost of putting a child 바카라사이트 baby born in 1995 through a four-year Ivy League education will approach half a million dollars. The rest will search for a value-for-money deal in an environment more appropriate to 바카라사이트 sale of secondhand cars than to applications for a university education.

Stephen Romer is a lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Westminster.