Aubrey Carr/Staff Writer
A quick search on FIU’s website for its price tag on any of its degrees turns up good news in place of the usual sigh that comes with researching university costs. FIU is one of the most inexpensive universities in the U.S., placing number 72 in the “Top 100” in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, as of December 2016.
It ranks its students “among the least indebted college students in the nation,” according to the U.S. News and World Report, which is a big deal when the average debt toll for 68 percent of graduates from American universities is $30,100, according to the Institute of College Access and Success.
If asked, most students say they chose FIU because it was economical. Yes, it’s true that the school boasts an incredible theatre programme, has hundreds of unique classes taught by international professors and a record-setting law school, but these aren’t always the main reasons why high school students decide to apply.
For many students, FIU wasn’t their first choice, but the perks of other campuses or degree programs didn’t outweigh a $40,000-per-year bill at other universities.
That last sentence applies to me. In my junior year of high school, I spent hours researching universities around the country that had excellent study abroad options. There was a school in the north-east that I had fallen in love with, but their study abroad programs had extra fees. FIU on the other hand, not only afforded me in-state tuition, but for exchange programs, students pay the same tuition they would normally pay if they were taking courses on campus.
So here I am, writing this article from the south of France, where I’m living this semester, and actually paying less than I would have if I were living and studying on campus, even though I’m getting FIU credit.
Though FIU is the most expensive public university in Florida in terms of in-state tuition, most universities charge between $6000 to $6500, and FIU is right on the end of that spectrum, so it isn’t that much of a difference.
For out-of-state tuition, FIU is actually much cheaper than other public Florida universities, saving students anywhere from two to twelve thousand dollars, depending on the university in comparison.
Of course, that’s just tuition. This doesn’t take into account housing, books, fees, etc., and FIU might be more or less expensive depending on those personal circumstances. If you have family with whom you can live with in Coral Gables and a major that doesn’t require expensive textbooks, FIU isn’t going to be as big of a financial burden, when your in-state alternative is to pay two hundred dollars less in tuition but thousands in housing.
Even though the tuition is astonishingly low by American standards, with the cost of books and dorms for those who don’t have family in the area, spending a year at FIU is still about the same as buying a relatively new Toyota.
For the students who don’t have enough in scholarships or whose parents are not footing the bill, this is an incredibly stressful financial situation, especially with high interest rates and an uncertain job market awaiting graduation.
To make matters more taxing, students are encouraged to get internships so they look like better candidates for those competitive careers, but most internships are unpaid. When working 30 hours a week for minimum wage makes a mere dent in the cost of housing, supplies, books, tuition and course fees, it’s a pretentious idea that students drop their jobs to take an unpaid one.
The argument is that experience is worth more than money, and while theoretically, that sounds poetic and freeing, OneStop doesn’t take experience as a form of payment.
Scottish citizens get their undergraduate education for free, and Germany has done away with tuition fees for all of its degrees, even for international students. Perhaps if more policy and money went to reforming the education system in America, the people studying here won’t be crippled with debt, the way our European friends aren’t.
One of the most important things a society can provide for its inhabitants is education, and the unfortunate reality is that in our national society, getting an education is more of a financial difficulty than constructing an arsenal for the zombie apocalypse.
FIU may be more affordable than many other options, but to call it an affordable education would be incorrect.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Image retrieved from Flickr.
About Post Author
