Friday, November 16, 2007

Auburn Montgomery and Auburn University Tuition

Over the past few years, public college tuition has skyrocketed. Auburn Montgomery and Auburn University are no exceptions.

Since 1999, undergraduate tuition at Auburn Montgomery has increased 92.8 percent.

According to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education Survey, thirty credit hours of undergraduate tuition and fees for the 1999-2000 school year were $2577. Fast forward to the current school year, tuition and fees are $4965 (aum.edu).

Auburn is no better.

Over the same time period, Auburn undergraduate tuition has increased 101.5 percent.

According to the ACHES, thirty credit hours of undergraduate tuition and fees for the 1999-2000 school year were $2895. For the current school year, tuition and fees are $5834 (auburn.edu).

Alicia Ramsey, an AUM student since 2000, has witnessed the increases in tuition costs, “When I started taking classes at AUM in the fall of 2000, tuition for undergraduate residents was considerably less than today.” She goes on to say, “Now, it’s getting much harder to pay tuition, much less textbooks.”
Despite the rise in tuition, Auburn Montgomery enrollment has remained flat.

AUM undergraduate and graduate enrollment for fall 2007 is 5124. In 1999, AUM’s enrollment was actually higher at 5354.

However, over the same time period, Auburn enrollment has steadily climbed. The undergraduate and graduate enrollment for fall 2007 is 24,137. That is 24.9 percent higher compared to 19,327 in fall 1999.

State funding for the Auburn University System, which includes Auburn Montgomery and Auburn University, has steadily increased.

State funding for the 1999-2000 budget was a total of $479,771, 796. Currently, the Auburn System is working off of an $812,857,322 budget or 69.4 percent higher than the 1999-2000 budget.

Over the last couple of years, due to a strong state economy, the school budget has witnessed healthy increases in funding. The Auburn System receives its state funding from the Education Trust Fund, which is the same fund that K4-12 receives its funding.

Ramsey continues to pursue her degree despite the higher costs. She believes that student loan debt has become inevitable, “It seems almost impossible to get your degree without accumulating massive amounts of debt in the process.”





AUM tuition and fees 1999-00: $2577
AUM tuition and fees 2000-01: $3000
AUM tuition and fees 2001-02: $3440
AUM tuition and fees 2002-03: $3620
AUM tuition and fees 2003-04: $4130
AUM tuition and fees 2004-05: $4460
AUM tuition and fees 2005-06: $4640
AUM tuition and fees 2006-07: $4760
AUM tuition and fees 2007-08: $4965

Source: Alabama Commission on Higher Education Survey & aum.edu



Auburn tuition and fees 99-00: $2895
Auburn tuition and fees 00-01: $3154
Auburn tuition and fees 01-02: $3380
Auburn tuition and fees 02-03: $3784
Auburn tuition and fees 03-04: $4426
Auburn tuition and fees 04-05: $5068
Auburn tuition and fees 05-06: $5278
Auburn tuition and fees 06-07: $5496
Auburn tuition and fees Fall-07: $5834

Source: Alabama Commission on Higher Education Survey & auburn.edu


AUM enrollment Fall 1999: 5354
AUM enrollment Fall 2000: 4900
AUM enrollment Fall 2001: 4982
AUM enrollment Fall 2002: 5104
AUM enrollment Fall 2003: 5298
AUM enrollment Fall 2004: 5123
AUM enrollment Fall 2005: 5128
AUM enrollment Fall 2006: 5079
AUM enrollment Fall 2007: 5124

Source: AUM Office of Institutional Studies


Auburn total enrollment Fall 1999: 19,327
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2000: 19,050
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2001: 19,650
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2002: 20,346
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2003: 23,152
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2004: 22,928
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2005: 23,333
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2006: 23,547
Auburn total enrollment Fall 2007: 24,137

Source: oira.auburn.edu



Auburn University System
Funding for 1999-2000 Ed. Trust Fund- $196,659,613
Earmarked Funds- $283,112,183
Total- $479,771,796

Funding for 2000-2001 Ed. Trust Fund- $194.620,279
Earmarked Funds- $298,922,285
Total- $493,592,564 (after 6.2% proration)

Funding for 2001-2002 Ed. Trust Fund- $200,782,602
Earmarked Funds- $301,620,845
Total- $502,403,447

Funding for 2002-2003 Ed. Trust Fund- $206,337,817
Earmarked Funds- $324,351,357
Total- $530,689,174

Funding for 2003-2004 Ed. Trust Fund- $207,783,992
Earmarked Funds- $361,898,913
Total- $569,682,905

Funding for 2004-2005 Ed. Trust Fund- $215,593,341
Earmarked Funds- $388,369,450
Total- $604,232,791

Funding for 2005-2006 Ed. Trust Fund- $245,510,178
Earmarked Funds- $411,617,543
Total- $657,127,721

Funding for 2006-2007 Ed. Trust Fund- $288,020,332
Earmarked Funds- $435,627,324
Total- $723,647,656

Funding for 2007-2008 Ed. Trust Fund- $334,380,516
Earmarked Funding- $478,476,806
Total- $812,857,322

Source: State records

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