With the fall term coming to an end and Free Application for Federal Student Aid looming over students’ shoulders, here’s what attending Kennesaw State looked like this semester.
For an in-state undergraduate student taking 15 credit hours, tuition would come up $2,781 for Fall 2022. Out-of-state students would have seen a $9,815 charge in tuition. All students, regardless of hours enrolled, are charged a cumulative fee of $668.
Since last year, the fees have changed considerably. Fall 2021, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 fees totaled between $843 for less than four enrolled hours and $993 for five or more hours. The parking fee has decreased from $83 to $58. The Special Institutional Fee, which used to be $150 or $300, has been removed entirely according to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approval.
A breakdown of the purpose of each fee can be found on KSU’s Fiscal Services website. E-Core and cybersecurity eMajor students receive a fee waiver and pay $55 in total.
For graduates taking 12 credit hours, in-state tuition comes to $3,545 and out of state to $12,792. This has not changed since last year. E-Core students pay $2,385 for 15 credit hours. Cybersecurity eMajors’ tuition totals $2,985. Neither have changed in the last year,
For dining options, KSU offers a commuter or residential meal plan. Commuter plans vary in pricing because they are customizable depending on if students prefer Dining Dollars or dining hall access pass-based plans. Residential meal plans also vary between upper and underclassmen as well as customization. For underclassmen, a plan can range between $1,910 and $2,165. Upperclassmen default with the Access 50 plan for $505 per semester. Meal plans are part of the room and board charges for residential students.
The bane of most students’ college finances comes from textbook costs. Each book averages $105.37 and a year’s worth is estimated to total $1,226 by the Education Data Initiative. The average yearly cost of textbooks has only gone up by three dollars for four-year institutions since 2010, also according to the Education Data Initiative. Adjusted with a 2.64% inflation rate, a year’s worth of textbooks in 2010 is equal to $1,671.45 in 2022.
Due to inflation, many students have seen the costs of living increase dramatically over the course of a semester. In August, the National Statistics Office of Georgia reported that prices overall increased by 7%. Food, non-alcoholic beverages, restaurants, hotels and transportation had the most influential price changes. Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw a 15.8% increase. Transport saw a 15.6% increase and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased by 12.4% with the highest subgroup being housing utilities for rentals.
President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program was announced in August but has seen considerable resistance, especially following its block by a second federal court, according to the Associate Press. Students can now apply to FAFSA or through the KSU Scholarship Universe before the March 1 priority deadline.
