Thursday, May 24, 2012

Out-of-state tuition sucks (by anon)


Today I am critically pissed about the out-of-state tuition cost. For the past 4 years, I have been paying thousands more to attend UW- Whitewater compared to the Wisconsin residents. My parents’ home is literally 5 minutes walking distance from the border, and that is an expensive 5 minutes. Even though I live here in Whitewater to attend school and work year round, I have to pay out-of-state. I was told by the admissions office and financial aid that I would have to live in the state for two years before I could be considered a resident. I was also told that my parents would not be able to claim me on their taxes if I were to be considered for in-state residency. I was 17 when I started college at Whitewater, so my parents claimed me. Although I’m willing to bet that a large numbers of students are still being claimed by their parents. So anyways, the admissions office once told me that I could appeal the out-of-state tuition by adhering to what they told me above, and taking it to court. Great, that’s just what I want to do. Even if I won, I would still only get one year of in-state tuition assuming I graduate in 4 years. My first year wouldn’t count as residency because I was in dorms, so my “residency” wouldn’t have started till the summer before my sophomore year when I moved off campus. This means, that in order to meet the 2 year minimum, I would have to wait till the summer before my senior year—leaving one year for in-state tuition. This is ridiculous, and all colleges and universities should have the same cost regardless of where a student lives. Everyone pays taxes for education regardless of where they live. In addition, everyone would be paying tuition to attend their school of choice. Therefore I do not see a need for out-of-state tuition. If anyone disagrees, I hope that you have children one day who want to attend a college in a different state. Then we shall see how you feel about out-of-state tuition.

3 comments:

  1. 1. You do realize that if out-of state tuition is eliminated, in-state tuition would go up, right?

    2. Where are you from? Out-of-state tuition in Wisconsin is cheaper than in-state tuition in Illinois and other states. That's why a lot of people come here from Illinois. Whitewater's tuition, whether in-state, out-of-state, or international, is considerably cheaper than that of most places.

    3. By federal law, you are considered a dependent until you a. turn 24, b. serve in the military, c. get married, or d. have a child, regardless of if your parents claim you on your taxes.

    You could always take a few years off of school, stay in Wisconsin, and then come back as an independent with in-state status.

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  2. I think it's a tax thing actually. If you don't like paying out-of-state tuition, I am sure there are several wonderful colleges in Illinois.

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  3. It is what it is! You and your parents do not pay Wisconsin State taxes (over a period of time), so why do you think that you should receive benefits in Wisconsin? I would have to pay out of state tuition if I enrolled in a college in Illinois. You could have attended Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University in Normal, close to the WI border. You can still transfer. Otherwise, zip the lip and pay up!

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