Marquette to raise tuition to $41,290

[WarriorDad]

We received a letter from Dr. Lovell this week that tuition will increase from $39,330 to $41.290 for next year. We expected an increase.  This isn't a complaint, more informational. 

We are please with the education our child is receiving.  If there was a complain, it would be for the school to sync up fund raising with these announcements.  Two weeks ago we received a letter also from Dr. Lovell to donate $2,500 a year.  We chose to donate something less than that, but in hindsight receiving the tuition increase letter in conjunction with that one could be better planned.

[Jay Bee]

Can anyone provide year-by-year undergrad tuition for the past ~30 years or so? I can get back to several years per the MU website, but would be curious to go waaay back. Trying to remember what mine was... I was thinking $11k-ish to start, $14k-ish at the end, but might be way off.

[dgies9156]

All-in, it was about $5,000 annually for 1974 to 1975. That included tuition and room and board.

The CAGR from that time to now is about 5.5 percent.

[GooooMarquette]

From 1980-84, I'm pretty sure tuition went from about $3,500 to $5,000/year.  That's just tuition, no books, room or board. 

[4everwarriors]

Tuition my freshman year wuz ‘bout $1650/semester. Hear’s da bitch of it all, I could earn enough bread workin’ in the summer ta pay for it, hey?

[Herman Cain]

Tuition my freshman year wuz ‘bout $1650/semester. Hear’s da bitch of it all, I could earn enough bread workin’ in the summer ta pay for it, hey?

I lumped loads at the warehouses off Blue Mound back in the day after my regular shift in the warehouse to pay for tuition.

[Eldon]

Tuition my freshman year wuz ‘bout $1650/semester. Hear’s da bitch of it all, I could earn enough bread workin’ in the summer ta pay for it, hey?

You still can if you work in the right industry, ain.a?

[mu_hilltopper]

They ask families to donate $2500 a year?  On top of tuition? 

[GooooMarquette]

They ask families to donate $2500 a year?  On top of tuition?

That's getting to be more common.  Our daughter goes to another school, and we regularly receive requests to contribute to the "Parents' Fund."

[MU82]

A bargain at any price for the Ivy of Southeastern Wisconsin!

[naginiF]

I don't think that you should feel obligated to contribute more than the tuition.  But, in my experience as a parent with kids in private school, you will be asked/pressured into contributing more.  My kids are younger (5th and 3rd grades) but we are expected to contribute $1,250 per kid above tuition each year in addition to the "soft" contributions such as hosting events, donating items to the auction, purchasing things at the auction, etc, etc.

When we got married our financial advisor told us that if we planned on sending our kids to private school through high school, and paying for their undergrad, add 15% to the projected tuitions.  Pre undergrad for donations/auctions/etc, undergrad for donations/visits/season tickets/etc.  I thought he was insane at the time but he has been pretty accurate to date (actually made the additional expectations easier to handle)

[MUfan12]

I started in 03-04, and tuition was a shade under 19k if I remember correctly.

[warriorchick]

I don't think that you should feel obligated to contribute more than the tuition.  But, in my experience as a parent with kids in private school, you will be asked/pressured into contributing more.  My kids are younger (5th and 3rd grades) but we are expected to contribute $1,250 per kid above tuition each year in addition to the "soft" contributions such as hosting events, donating items to the auction, purchasing things at the auction, etc, etc.

When we got married our financial advisor told us that if we planned on sending our kids to private school through high school, and paying for their undergrad, add 15% to the projected tuitions.  Pre undergrad for donations/auctions/etc, undergrad for donations/visits/season tickets/etc.  I thought he was insane at the time but he has been pretty accurate to date (actually made the additional expectations easier to handle)

For the record, Marquette's request from parents is in no way "unofficially required" in the way you describe your kids' grade school contributions.  But they know if they don't ask, they won't get it. Some parents can afford it and are happy to contribute, but MU understands that for many/most parents, just paying the tuition is a stretch. 

What I don't get are the parents who get straight-up upset about it. I have seen a number of posts in the Marquette Parents Facebook page where some mom got freaked because they got a phone call in the evening where the caller ID says "Marquette University", and they assume it means their kid got hit by a bus or something.  Then they are angry that it's only some earnest work-study student asking for a donation.  These people need to chill.

[WarriorFan]

I remember that the guy in the McCormick room next to mine in 1986 was selling T-Shirts with the Marquette Logo and the slogan "9 month party, $10,000 cover charge".

I still don't understand why my dad didn't often wear the one I bought him...

[LloydsLegs]

That's getting to be more common.  Our daughter goes to another school, and we regularly receive requests to contribute to the "Parents' Fund."

For Catholic HS, it is becoming more common to make the specific ask of "full cost of educating child."  That is, if the school has an endowment, for example, that underwrites the "cost" (however it is determined) by say, $5,000 per year, the school asks parents to make a contribution of that $5,000. 

At Fenwick HS in Chicago, they bring parents in for an in-person specific ask with the President and someone from development (I don't know if it is all parents)- as of four years ago they were looking for $5,000 to "bridge the gap."  In the case of Fenwick, the endowment does not pay anywhere near this amount per student, and I am not sure how they do the calculation.

At St. Louis U. High, the endowment is significant and the school does ask parents who can to make up the difference.

At least one school (St. Ignatius) in Chicago makes a specific $$ ask and it is more or less considered required:

"The Parent Commitment Program exists because each year there is a difference between what each family pays for their student to attend Saint Ignatius College Prep and what it actually costs the school to educate that one student. Annually the cost of educating a student at Saint Ignatius is over 4,000 dollars more than tuition charged. We ask  parents to make a commitment of at least $2,000 dollars to help close the gap. Based on our current enrollment of over 1,365 students, that means at least $3 million needs to be raised to cover the necessary school expenses that fall into that gap each year. So much of what we do on a daily basis for your children would not be possible without the support received from our parents. Below, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions about the Parent Commitment Program."

[GGGG]

For Catholic HS, it is becoming more common to make the specific ask of "full cost of educating child."  That is, if the school has an endowment, for example, that underwrites the "cost" (however it is determined) by say, $5,000 per year, the school asks parents to make a contribution of that $5,000. 

At Fenwick HS in Chicago, they bring parents in for an in-person specific ask with the President and someone from development (I don't know if it is all parents)- as of four years ago they were looking for $5,000 to "bridge the gap."  In the case of Fenwick, the endowment does not pay anywhere near this amount per student, and I am not sure how they do the calculation.

At St. Louis U. High, the endowment is significant and the school does ask parents who can to make up the difference.

At least one school (St. Ignatius) in Chicago makes a specific $$ ask and it is more or less considered required:

"The Parent Commitment Program exists because each year there is a difference between what each family pays for their student to attend Saint Ignatius College Prep and what it actually costs the school to educate that one student. Annually the cost of educating a student at Saint Ignatius is over 4,000 dollars more than tuition charged. We ask  parents to make a commitment of at least $2,000 dollars to help close the gap. Based on our current enrollment of over 1,365 students, that means at least $3 million needs to be raised to cover the necessary school expenses that fall into that gap each year. So much of what we do on a daily basis for your children would not be possible without the support received from our parents. Below, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions about the Parent Commitment Program."

At what point is that no longer considered a "gift?"

[jsglow]

I'm glad we're done educatin' youngins'.

[muwarrior69]

Tuition my freshman year wuz ‘bout $1650/semester. Hear’s da bitch of it all, I could earn enough bread workin’ in the summer ta pay for it, hey?

Yup! About 12k for my 9 semesters Sep '65 - Dec '69 including tuition, books and R&B. My parents earned about 12K a year between the both of them with my dad putting in a lot of OT. MU no longer affordable for a blue collar family.

[GooooMarquette]

I'm glad we're done educatin' youngins'.

We have about 6 months to go!

[real chili 83]

Working road construction in the summer with lots of OT and working 20+ hours a week as a student mgr for Saga did the trick for me.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

around $15k in 1996.  IRC, business and engineering were slightly higher than the other schools.

I also recall that tuition was locked in at the freshman rate for the 4 years.  is that right?

[jsglow]

around $15k in 1996.  IRC, business and engineering were slightly higher than the other schools.

I also recall that tuition was locked in at the freshman rate for the 4 years.  is that right?

If that was true, it was only for a short while.  Not the case in this century or back when I was in school in the 70s-80s.

[LloydsLegs]

At what point is that no longer considered a "gift?"

This may or may not have been tongue in cheek, but either way it is a good question!  I think that if examined by the IRS, it would be difficult to argue the St. Ignatius ask, which really seems to be a requirement, is a tax deductible gift.  The Fenwick ask really was an ask-we certainly did not have to do it, and di not have do make the gift at the requested level. 

I also have long thought that the athletic/booster club gifts which are so closely linked to tickets were a problem-interesting that they are being addressed so directly in the proposed legislation. 

Same for the benefit that friends of mine who work for universities receive in the form of free tuition for their children - why is the benefit not considered comp?  And the new legislation addresses this as well (along with the grad student tuition “waiver”).  While I do not support these two provisions of the tax proposal, I fullly understand the appeal of the logic behind it.

[GGGG]

This may or may not have been tongue in cheek, but either way it is a good question!  I think that if examined by the IRS, it would be difficult to argue the St. Ignatius ask, which really seems to be a requirement, is a tax deductible gift. 

Exactly.  Especially since the commitment form must be completed as part of the application.  Which really blurs those lines.

[forgetful]

Yup! About 12k for my 9 semesters Sep '65 - Dec '69 including tuition, books and R&B. My parents earned about 12K a year between the both of them with my dad putting in a lot of OT. MU no longer affordable for a blue collar family.

In 1965, the average household income was just above $6k.  So your college education cost about double the average household income.  Today, the average household income is $60k.  Double the average household income would be $120k. 

Total cost at MU right now for 4 years is just north of $200k, but you have to remember that the average student gets a 30% haircut off the actual book rate.  So the average student is getting out with a total cost of ~$145k.  Not that dissimilar compared to average household income as your family paid in 1965.