Students received with mixed reviews ACU administration’s decision to raise the cost per credit hour an extra $70 for the academic year of 2011-2012.
Dr. Phil Schubert informed students of the near 10 percent increase in a school-wide e-mail sent March 3.
Jaclyn Butterworth, junior speech pathology major from Weatherford, is in her second semester at ACU and said she is frustrated by the new figure.
“My younger brother just visited ACU, but we don’t know if we can afford him coming to a Christian college like this because my parents don’t have enough money to support both of us,” Butterworth said.
Butterworth said that she understands the school’s need to cover the costs of new services like the Royce and Pam Money Recreation and Wellness Center. However, expecting to enjoy the facilities for only one year before graduating fails to alleviate her frustrations, she said.
“It seems very unfair to charge us for services that we have not participated in or benefited from yet,” Butterworth said.
Other students remain neutral on the subject. Jon Schleyer, sophomore theater major from Boerne, said he does not mind the price hike because he already is receiving financial aid through ACU-funded scholarships.
“It just doesn’t bother me,” Schleyer said. “I know how cheap we are, compared to other private universities, and I’m still paying a pretty good price for the education I’m getting.”
In the e-mail, Schubert outlined ACU’s push toward technological integration and implementing high-quality services into student life.
“Our goal is to continue providing exceptional facilities, world-class faculty and a strong Christ-centered environment,” Schubert said in the release.
He said the increase to $787 from $717 per credit hour will help ACU achieve these goals.
Shayla Herndon, sophomore English education major from Troy, said she agrees with the increase, as long as it is used to improve the quality of an ACU education.
“ACU is equipping us to be more qualified in our future occupations,” Herndon said.
Herndon said that in her educational psychology class, students are exploring the benefits of incorporating technology into a child’s early learning development. She said that she believes the tuition increase is necessary to support the same theory for college students.
“I feel we’re incredibly blessed to have the innovation ACU has given us,” Herndon said. “I’m a supporter of any kind of Apple learning initiative. As an education major, this is teaching me how to incorporate technology into my future classroom.”
