2 questions for current students

patsmom · 03-10-2007, 07:57 AM

1 - Do I understand correctly that when tuition increases each year, returning students pay less than incoming freshmen? From what I could gather on the website, it looks like returning students' tuition increases no more than the Cost of Living, but tuition for new students is higher than that. Did I get that right?

2- Does Rice have a place students can take their computers for repairs if necessary?

Thanks!

anxiousmom · 03-10-2007, 09:39 AM

1) Yes. Tuition is indexed from when you matriculate.
2) I don't know this one... I think they have lots of support for software issues and configuration problems. Actual hardware repair - I'm not sure. There are certainly plenty of computer savy kids around who can build their own computers from scratch! This site might help. http://www.rice.edu/it/index.shtml

If you look around the site (links at the bottom for "new students"), it talks about all the Tech Support available - and there is lots of it. Browse around the site.

wobudong · 03-10-2007, 09:58 AM

Someone in your suite, or in the one next door, will be able to fix anything that goes wrong with your computer. At least a quarter of the students at Rice have a gene that gives them the power to heal computers.

NYSkins1 · 03-10-2007, 11:51 AM

1. Yes.

2. In addition to the regular campus IT, there are also two students at each college employed by Rice IT called the CCAs (not sure what it stands for). There's usually one Mac person and one PC person at each college. They are the most computer-savvy people I know--the only thing they don't have that Apple or Dell IT people have is spare parts, and even then they sometimes do.

patsmom · 03-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Someone in your suite, or in the one next door, will be able to fix anything that goes wrong with your computer. At least a quarter of the students at Rice have a gene that gives them the power to heal computers

Thanks, I kind of figured that might be the case

And those CCAs sound like angels from heaven - wish I had one of them here at MY house!

That's good news about the tuition, too. Every little savings helps~

morningbird · 03-10-2007, 08:27 PM

"returning students' tuition increases no more than the Cost of Living"

The tuition increase for returning students will be 5.0% (7.1% for incoming) and room & board will be 7.1% to $10250 for everyone.

Rice is not the bargain it once was, if you're paying full fare.

anxiousmom · 03-10-2007, 09:12 PM

But the other colleges tuitions and fees and room and board are also rising. Princeton next year will be about $44,000, Georgetown looks to be about $46,000, Boston U was $44,300 this year and bound to be more next year...Rice will be $39,000 and then indexed for the next three years. But yes, a lot of money!

morningbird · 03-11-2007, 10:22 AM

I think it is a misguided thinking to compare Rice's tuition with those colleges in the northeast. The cost of living in that part of the country is much higher. My brother, a dentist in Boston, charges twice as much for teeth cleaning as in the south. The hour fee for a tennis court is three times as much. I can easily find a decent hotel room in Houston around $60-80 during weekend(and possibably including breakfast). Try to do that in the northeast....

And yes, there are other more expensive colleges in the south, such as Duke. But those are the colleges perceived as for rich kids from Long Islands. In a recent Thresher column: "but three beloved traits have made Rice unique throughout its history: residential college, small size and low tuition." I'm afraid Rice is losing the last trait (if not already has).

sreis · 03-11-2007, 11:46 AM

discussing the ticket-price tuition is not very useful because the amount of aid or scholarships often determines the actual price. the most useful thing is the money the average student pays, or it might be called the debt the average acquires per year. one number is the average freshman total need-based gift aid at Rice: $21,157. i mean, why discuss the difference of X thousand dollars between schools when in reality there is a small chance that the difference will remain the same?

oldolddad · 03-11-2007, 01:11 PM

The Rice tuition costs did not have anything to do wtih cost of living in th south versus northeast (at least in the past). Rice used its endowment to keep tuition low (part of its charter) and that is still why it is 15% + lower than other schools of its type. Rooms and board costs may be closer and may have to do with age of dorms, need for air conditioning, food plans, the RA differences etc. It is true that students who want to go out to eat or go to cultural events may find their dollars go father in Houston than in say NYC.

morningbird · 03-11-2007, 05:55 PM

olddad, please explain why cost of living is not a factor. The salaries and housing subsidies for Profs and administrative staffs are all adjusted according to cost of living. Houston is one of the cheapest to live in the country. I would argue that $39,000 for Rice is NOT cheaper than $44,000 for Princeton or Harvard, after taking cost of living into consideration.

sreis, I agree that if you're good enough to have merit scholarship, then Rice is compelling since Ivies do not give merit aid. But I'm talking about students paying full fare. For them, Rice is losing its strengh as "the best college for the money". As for the student debt number, I'd like to see the latest number considering Rice's tuition hike has accelerated in the last five years.

anxiousmom · 03-11-2007, 06:19 PM

Houston isn't one of the cheapest places to live in the country, at least not near Rice. DD is living in a house across from 1.2 million dollar condos. (She's paying less than $500 in rent to share her house though..a good way to save money after the first year of living on campus ). Student debt - well, the info we got from Rice promises that students from families with incomes below $30,000 will have no debt, $30,000-$60,000 will be packaged with no more than $11,600 (total at graduation), students with families with incomes over $60,000 four-year loan obligation will be no more than $14,525.
Yes, President Leebron did recommend that they boost tuition, but they are planning to keep it 15% (? I can't remember the exact figure), below other comparable schools. Financial aid will go up to adjust for this, and merit scholarships continue to be offered. My DS was not offered a merit scholarship, and we will wait for the financial aid package - but I think my son will probably attend. It's a fantastic place to get a fantastic education.

oldolddad · 03-11-2007, 06:56 PM

My point was that the tuiton cost was not lower for the reason you cited. It is a school choice and is set lower --remember it was zero for a long time-due to their strategy to keep it low and to use more of thrierr endowment to subsidize tuition. Some state schools charge significantly different prices for in and out of state tuitions, even in states where the cost of livng is the same. This is a strategic decision by the school not based totally on cost of living.
Many of the top privates set their tuiton to be just about equal to each other in such a way as to look like price fixing. South Bend Indiana is substantially cheaper to live in than DC or Princeton but the tuition for Notre Dame is not far off the private school in the other cities. I would venture to say many of the profs at top privates throughout the country, especially endowed chairs are paid extremely well no matter where the school is located. Also, at many schools the tuition is but a part of the overall revenue stream.

maysixxmom · 03-11-2007, 08:22 PM

Isn't that maximum debt for *student* loans only?

morningbird · 03-11-2007, 10:55 PM

olddad,

I see what you're saying now. Rice has strategically decided to set a tuition level that is a hair below those of peer colleges, so as to still remain the perception of being cheap but still be able to rip some revenue increase to help run the school. This is the time when people are complaining college expense being spiral out of control. I would question the timing of this strategy. Time will tell how this catching up in fees will affect the reputation of Rice.