Between increasing tuition and fees, students weigh in if the college experience is worth the financial strain.
ASU increased tuition in the last two school years with the intent of investing back into the University. Tuition increased by 1.5% for in-state students, and 3% for out-of-state and international students for the 2023-24 academic year, according to ASU's Yourtuition website.
However, paying for schooling, living expenses and fees has always been a stressor for students.
"I didn't understand finances when I was in high school, but since I've gotten to ASU, I've had to keep track of my finances," said Lex Levy, a sophomore studying business entrepreneurship. "I now understand budgeting because of college, which I'm really grateful for, though, with that being said, I personally do feel like it hinders a big amount of the college experience."
While tuition and costs can be found on ASU's Tuition and Aid website, unexpected charges often shock students when receiving a breakdown of their bill. Levy paid hundreds of dollars for abrupt fees, such as an athletic fee and a dormitory license agreement.
"The weirdest and most surprising fee was a $55 fee I was charged for four months straight due to damages that I did not commit myself," Levy said. "The deal was if a student causes damages within the dorms and does not admit to those said damages, the entire floor will be charged."
Many students are unaware of monetary support offered through ASU such as clubs, scholarships and other assets designed to help with balancing expenses.
As vice president of marketing for the Financial Management Association, Levy said there are several ways to get involved to aid with the financial stress of school. Resources, such as job fairs, internships and career service dues are presented to students to teach them about financial resources and how to budget.
"I have only been a part of FMA for a year, but within that year, I have seen many students come to our career fair and leave with an interview or leave with a job from one of the top finance companies in the United States," Levy said. "It's really astonishing."
Without a full-ride scholarship, Nin Htet, a sophomore studying architectural studies, would not have come to the University due to the high cost compared to other in-state tuitions.
Instead of tuition, Htet's payments focused on about thousands of dollars spent on course-related materials, such as a 3D printer and a new computer.
"I also had a computer that was working completely fine, but then I found out the programs I'm running on for architecture, like Rhino and AutoCAD — my computer wasn't compatible to run it," Htet said. "I had to buy a completely new computer as well, just for the sole purpose of architecture."
To save some money, Htet opted out of buying a parking permit. Many students like Htet chose to take the light rail or ASU shuttles rather than pay hundreds of dollars a semester on student parking permits.
Maintaining Htet's scholarship led to a lack of social life during college. She said she found herself focused more on school rather than going out, like her peers.
"Like a lot of my friends, their parents aren't supporting them in college," Htet said. "Instead of them being able to hang out or focus on school, in addition to the stress of school, they're also having to worry about paying that (tuition) off."
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Evan Albrecht, a freshman studying psychology, said he attended ASU because of the "beautiful" campus and quality programs.
Albrecht is paying for his tuition through family support, a partial scholarship and money from working in high school.
"(The partial scholarship) was about about 20 grand, so there's just enough for me to definitely want to go," Albrecht said.
According to Albrecht, the price of ASU is valued because of the diverse backgrounds, vibrant student life and professional development opportunities.
"At the start, it looks like a lot of money but over time through loans, or if you have any sort of aid, you could definitely utilize it," Albrecht said. "It's definitely worth the experience so far and I'm just three weeks in."
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at glmcfar1@asu.edu and follow @ginia_mcfarland on X.
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Ginia is a junior studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in criminology. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Arizona Capital Times and KTAR News.
