In Depth with Dan: Examining the proposed tuition increases at UNC and NC State
UPDATES THROUGH THE EVENING.
ALL RIGHT. SO IN STATE TUITION
MIGHT BE GOING UP SOON AT UNC
AND NC STATE. A 3% INCREASES ON
THE TABLE RIGHT NOW AT BOTH
SCHOOLS THIS WEEK, WHICH
>> IS THE MOST THAT THEY CAN
DO. IT'S THE MOST ALLOWED UNDER
STATE LAW. NO MORE THAN THAT.
AND IF THESE PROPOSALS DO GO
THROUGH, THEY WE SHOULD KNOW
WON'T APPLY TO CURRENT WHAT
YOU PAY ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE.
THE PLAN WOULD GO INTO EFFECT,
THOUGH, FOR NEW KIDS IN COMING
THE THE 2026 FRESHMAN CLASS
AND BEYOND. AND THIS IS A
PRETTY BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY
SINCE UNC HAS NOT RAISED
TUITION SINCE 2017, SOMETHING
THAT THEY MENTIONED ALL THE
TIME WHEN DISCUSSING THEIR
AFFORDABILITY, A 3% TUITION
INCREASE AT NC STATE IS ABOUT
$270 PER YEAR AT UNC. IT'S
ABOUT $211 PER YEAR, WHICH IS
ABOUT AS MUCH AS A NETFLIX
SUBSCRIPTION. NO, AT OBVIOUSLY
SEEMS DOABLE WHEN YOU THINK OF
IT THAT WAY. BUT YOU SHOULD
REMEMBER THE COST OF COLLEGE IS
MUCH MORE THAN JUST TO WISH.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THOSE
FEES, LOTS AND LOTS OF FEES.
AND THIS PROPOSAL TO INCREASE
TUITION ALSO COMES WITH
INCREASES TO THOSE FEES.
SO THIS IS THE PLAN HERE FOR
UNC. WE HAVEN'T SEEN ONE FOR NC
STATE YET. SO LET'S LET'S STICK
WITH THE TAR HEELS. A A 2%
INCREASE IN GENERAL FEES, THEN
A 4% INCREASE TO MEAL PLANS.
A 7% INCREASE TO HOUSING AND
INDIVIDUALLY. THEY ARE ALL
PRETTY SMALL. YOU HAVE TO ADMIT
THAT. BUT THEY TEACH MATH THERE
AND THINGS ADD UP. IF YOU TOTAL
ALL OF THOSE PROPOSED INCREASES
AT UNC. YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT
$1115 PER YEAR. WE DID THE
MATH. THAT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE
CHEAPER THAN GETTING ALL THE
AD-FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO
NETFLIX. HULU PEACOCK, APPLE
TV, HBO DISNEY-PLUS PARAMOUNT.
PLUS, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE OUT
THERE DO HAVE ALL OF THOSE.
YOU KNOW, KIND OF FEELS LIKE
ITS OWN STORY. IT'S A TOPIC
FOR ANOTHER DAY, A COUPLE
MONTHS AGO. WE DID A BIG
IN-DEPTH STORY ABOUT THE COST
OF COLLEGE, RIGHT? HOW A
TUITION COMPARES TO THE COST OF
OWNING A HOME, FOR INSTANCE,
AND THE DEBT THAT STUDENTS TAKE
ON TO GET THAT FOUR-YEAR
DEGREE. EVEN INTO A STATE
INSTITUTION, LIKE YOU WOULD
SEE RAINSY STATE. YOU CAN FIND
THAT ON WRAL'S YOU TO PAGE.
BUT IT IS IMPORTANT. I THINK
THAT PUT THESE NUMBERS INTO
PERSPECTIVE FOR EXAMPLE, UNC
SAYS THAT THE AVERAGE PRICE
INCREASE TO ITS MEAL PLAN IS A
COUPLE PERCENTAGE. 4% RIGHT?
THAT IS THE EQUIVALENT TO $0.53
PER MEAL. AND IF YOU LOOK AT
THE IN-STATE TUITION IN OUR
SCHOOLS COMPARED TO OTHER
SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
UNC SPECIFICALLY WOULD STILL BE
WAY LOWER IN PLACES LIKE
GEORGIA TECH, WISCONSIN, TEXAS,
WASHINGTON, UCLA AND VIRGINIA.
THAT SAID NONE OF THIS IS FOR
CERTAIN, RIGHT? THE PROPOSAL
ISN'T A SLAM DUNK. IT'S NOT
A DONE DEAL. THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES ISN'T EXACTLY IN
PERFECT LOCKSTEP WITH ONE
ANOTHER WHEN IT COMES AS A FEW
MEMBERS ACTUALLY INSISTED THE
IN-STATE TUITION SHOULD NOT
GO UP AT ALL. MARTY KOTIS HAS
SAID THIS, QUOTE, OUR
RESPONSIBILITY IS TO KEEP
IN-STATE TUITION FLAT WHILE
ADJUSTING NON RESIDENT RATES
BASICALLY, HE SAID, LOOK, JACK,
UP THE PRICE FOR THE OUT OF
STATE STUDENTS LEAVE THE IN
STATE COSTS THE SAME AND IT
KIND OF DOES MAKE SENSE.
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE ARGUMENT
THAT HE MAKES MANY IN-STATE
STUDENTS AT UNC HAVE LIVED IN
NORTH CAROLINA. SOME OF THEM
FOR THE WHOLE LIVES, BUT FOR
YEARS AND YEARS AND THEIR
FAMILIES HAVE BEEN PAYING TAXES
FOR YEARS AND YEARS TO HELP
TO FUND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HERE
OUT OF STATE STUDENTS AND THEIR
FAMILIES HAVE NOT PAYTON TO
THAT SYSTEM. THIS PRINCIPLE HAS
ALREADY BEEN IN PRACTICE FOR
YEARS. YOU KNOW, WHILE IN-STATE
TUITION HAS STAYED FLAT SINCE
2017, THAT OUT OF STATE TUITION
HAS NOT. IT HAS CLIMBED YEAR TO
YEAR TO YEAR IN 2017 OUT OF
STATE STUDENTS PAY NEARLY
$32,000 A YEAR FOR TUITION
ALONE AT UNC TODAY. THAT NUMBER
IS 43,000 AND AN TO THE
PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF THE BOARD.
IT WOULD GO UP AGAIN RISING
INTO TO $47,000 A YEAR. SO
FORGET STREAMING SERVICES.
THAT'S AS MUCH AS A BRAND NEW
LIKE AUDI. A 5. SOUNDS
EXPENSIVE. DIES. YOU MIGHT BE
THINKING, DAN, OUT OF STATE
FAMILIES, WE'RE GOING TO CATCH
ON TO THIS, RIGHT? THEY'RE
GOING TO STOP APPLYING TO UNC
IF IT GETS THAT EXPENSIVE.
THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY. BUT IF
YOU CHECK OUT THE NUMBERS OVER
THE PAST 5 YEARS, APPLICATIONS
AT UNC HAVE GONE UP EVERY
SINGLE YEAR FROM THOSE AT A
STATE KIDS FROM 42,020 19 TO
66,000 IN 2024, STUDENTS FROM
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FROM ALL
OVER THE WORLD IN SOME CASES.
WANT TO COME TO YOU AND SEE US
NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKED
IT 4TH FOR THE TOP PUBLIC
SCHOOL AND NUMBER ONE FOR BEST
VALUE AMONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. BUT ALL
THAT SAID, $28,000 A YEAR FOR A
FOUR-YEAR DEGREE FOR THOSE IN
STATE STUDENTS. JUST A LOT OF
MONEY. AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT JUST
TUITION THAT THEY HAVE TO PAY.
WE'VE GOT THAT THE HOUSING, THE
FOOD, THE BOOKS AND EVERYTHING
ELSE THAT YOU NEED. THAT'S NOT
INCORPORATED. AND THAT NUMBER,
IF YOUR KIDS ARE STILL MANY,
MANY YEARS AWAY FROM GOING OFF
TO COLLEGE, LIKE MINE ARE LIKE
MANY OF YOURS MIGHT BE. THAT'S
A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE. THE
NUMBERS GOING TO BE HIGHER WHEN
IT COMES TIME FOR THEM TO ENTER
SCHOOL. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH
FINAL FINANCIAL AID THEY'RE
GOING TO GET. YOU DON'T KNOW
HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS OR WHICH
COLLEGE IF THEY MIGHT QUALIFY
FOR AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY
MORE OF THESE LITTLE 3, 4, 5%,
INCREASES ARE GOING TO HAPPEN
IN PILEUP IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
I KNOW THIS MAKES ME SO I
ACTUALLY SOMETIMES, BUT I'M
WONDERING HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT
THE WHOLE THING WHEN IT COMES
TO THE COST OF COLLEGE. I WANT
TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AS WE
LIKE TO DO HERE AT 7 O'CLOCK.
I WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES
ABOUT THIS. WHAT HAS IT BEEN
LIKE GETTING YOUR FAMILY
PREPARED TO AFFORD COLLEGE.
SEND ME AN E-MAIL. DANNATT WRAL
DOT COM. HOW ARE YOU PLANNING
FOR YOUR FAMILY? CAN WE HELP
EACH OTHER OUT HERE? SHOW SOME
GOOD IDEAS OUT THERE. WHAT PART
OF THIS EQUATION YOU WANT TO
KNOW MORE ABOUT? TELL ME WHAT