Students share how cost of attendance affects them

Darnell Henderson | The Crow’s Nest


By Sophie Ojdanic

As the cost of attending public college continues to rise, students have varying opinions on how colleges handle their finances, and if the cost incurred for attending public college is worthwhile. 

In the eighth installment of The Crow’s Nest’s Poynter College Media Project, Green & Gold, we spoke to students about their financial experiences at USF St. Petersburg. 

Nathan Landry, an in-state history major and political science minor graduating this summer, said he pays thousands of dollars per semester for attendance, even after receiving 70 percent coverage from a Bright Futures scholarship.

Florida’s tuition pricing is ranked the 49th lowest in the nation, according to the state university system of Florida, and hasn’t been raised since 2013.

At USF St. Petersburg, in-person classes for fall 2020 and spring 2021 is $193.70 for in-state students and $557.52 for out-of-state students.

Despite Florida’s low tuition, it is still a total that students like Landry can have a hard time paying.

In Landry’s case, tuition isn’t “what really gouges” him. Landry said living and eating expenses are what cause him the most financial burden.

St. Petersburg housing costs are split up by room type. Any private bedroom suites, where students share a living room and two bathrooms, are $4,671 a semester. Any rooms shared between two students are $4,505. Any room types where three or more students share a room are $2,922.

This year, Ibis Hall, which holds only two-and-three-person shared rooms, was closed for use as isolation suites. What remained open were two other options: Pelican Apartments, which has four-person private bedroom suites and six- to eight-person shared rooms, and Osprey Suites,  which has four-person and three-person private bedroom suites and two-person shared suites.

“My scholarships don’t cover that,” Landry said. “And so then I have to pay like an extra $4,000 on top of (tuition) because like you got to pay for the room and then you got to pay for the meal plan.”

Meal plans, according to Landry, aren’t worth the price. He said he doesn’t see the value in paying $1,200 per semester for a meal plan he only uses once a day, if even that.

Meal plans, which are required for on-campus residents at USF St. Petersburg, are upwards of $1,000, varying based on the meal plan students purchase. St. Petersburg students have three meal plan options.

On-campus living is not required for St. Petersburg students.

Other university items included in cost of attendance are activity and service fees, athletics fees, facility and equipment fees and distance learning fees.

As tuition costs for living on campus add up, some students have begun to notice that the university is spending top dollar on facilities that may or may not appropriately serve the student body. 

Eran Fruehauf, a double major in political science and world languages and culture, said he is comfortable with his tuition at USF, but thinks student funding is put into the wrong areas in some cases.

“I think a lot of the mental health services provided by the University are awesome, and something I’d really like to see continue,” Fruehauf said. “On the other hand, and I know that there are likely many students who disagree with me, but I believe that the athletics department and the sports programs’ tremendous costs are unfairly footed by the students. I think the problem with sports funding is that so much money goes in and the amount of people it actually benefits is so incredibly small. That’s not to say I want to do away with the sports programs all-together, but I think it attributes to the bloating costs of college tuition.”

Junior mass communications major Samantha Harris said she is comfortable with her tuition costs because of her scholarships.

“I’m comfortable with what I pay for my tuition, but only because my scholarships cover everything,” Harris said. “Since my scholarships cover everything and I don’t plan on going to graduate school, I will not have any debt, which I’m very thankful for.”

Fruehauf said he doesn’t have concerns about his tuition because he receives 75 percent coverage from Bright Futures and received CARES Act funding. Fruehauf also lives off-campus with his parents, so he does not pay room and board fees.

“I understand, however, that many people do not have Florida Bright Futures and do not receive scholarships to cover tuition like I have, and pay for their own food and rent while attending,” Fruehauf said. “I feel incredibly privileged to be expecting to graduate without student debt, and I am really concerned with what I’ve heard in classes and from friends about their student debt.”

While Harris and Fruehauf do not have student loans, Landry has taken $10,000 in student loans, which he hopes to help his parents pay off as soon as he graduates and finds a job.

“I am very fortunate and privileged to say that my parents there, we’re not rich, but we’re definitely in solid middle class and my parents … will help cover (paying back loans) until I get my feet and I get my own job; then I can help pay them back,” Landry said.

But, Landry said, he feels that the university hasn’t done the best job in preparing him for the workforce. 

“I did get a part time job on campus, which is good,” Landry said. “They gave me some job experience. But other than that, … I don’t know what careers are out there, who’s hiring.” 

Fruehauf and Harris said they felt the university prepared them well for their futures.

Fruehauf feels his education has exceeded “a lot of colleges in the area, and I feel comfort in knowing that my professors and degree program (have) prepared me for my academic and professional future.”

Harris said that despite not wanting a career in the field of her major, she thinks she learned skills she will be able to utilize in any field.

“I think USF has prepared me in regards for learning how to network and giving me good opportunities to meet new people,” Harris said. “Since the St. Petersburg campus is so small I’ve had better opportunities to join (student organizations) that fit my interests and meet new people that can benefit me in the future.”

Catherine Hicks and Trevor Martindale contributed to this report.

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