Keep Tuition Costs Down

The cost of attending Harvard just increased again for next year. The good news is that the 4.1 percent increase is the lowest in 30 years. The bad news is that this increase puts tuition, room and board over the $30,000 mark.

We appreciate the lower increase given that the total costs for the school year are increasing. And the Administration has done a wonderful job of retaining its need-blind admissions policy in the face of growing costs and cutbacks.

Undergraduates also can appreciate the 4.1 percent increase in tuition, room and board since this percentage is lower than the increase at all the Harvard graduate schools. In fact, the Law School, the School of Public Health and the School of Education all have cost increases of 5.5 percent.

However, we would like to see a time when tuition, room and board does not need to rise at a higher rate than other schools. Princeton and Yale both have undergraduate total costs, including tuition, room and board, which still remain below $30,000 a year.

Harvard is at the top of enough lists among its Ivy League colleagues; it doesn't need to rank the highest for undergraduate tuition as well.