Stanford maintains aid, raises undergraduate tuition 3.5%
Mindful of economic circumstances, trustees approve modest tuition increases for 2010-11. University maintains its robust financial aid program.
The Stanford University Board of Trustees has approved a 3.5 percent increase in total undergraduate charges – tuition, room and board – for next year.
Total undergraduate charges will increase to $50,576 for the 2010-11 academic year, including $38,700 for tuition and $11,876 for room and board.
Leslie Hume, chair of the Board of Trustees, said the national recession was a factor in the board's deliberations and its decision to limit the increase in total undergraduate charges to 3.5 percent for the second year in a row.
"In approving the tuition increase for 2010-2011, the Board of Trustees was mindful of the economic hardships facing many Stanford students and their families. We have tried both to moderate tuition increases and to ensure generous financial aid for those most in need," she said following the board's Feb. 8-9 meeting.
Trustees also approved tuition hikes for graduate students, ranging from 3.5 percent – for general graduate students, engineers, entering MBAs and continuing medical students – to 5.8 percent for Law School students.
Charges for undergraduate education
Next year, undergraduate tuition will rise 3.5 percent to $38,700, compared with $37,380 this year.
Stanford is raising tuition to help cover the rising costs of providing a world-class education for its students and to maintain the highest quality academic programs.
Next year, room and board charges will rise 3.6 percent to $11,876, including $6,700 for dorm rooms and $5,176 for meal plans. Currently, undergraduates pay $11,463 for room and board, including $6,411 for rooms and $5,052 for meals.
The room and board rate increase is due to higher costs in providing quality housing and food services.
Healthcare
The university said that the Campus Health Service Fee, which is not included in tuition, will remain at $167 per quarter next year. In future years, the campus health fee is expected to increase at a rate close to that of tuition.
The mandatory fee covers a variety of services at Vaden Health Center, including primary care medical visits, psychological evaluation and short-term therapy, and access to health and wellness programs. It applies to undergraduates, graduate students and visiting researchers who are enrolled on the main campus.
Starting next year, students enrolled in the university's Cardinal Care Plan, a comprehensive health insurance plan specifically designed for Stanford students, will be required to carry coverage for the 12-month calendar year. In 2010-11, the premium cost of Cardinal Care will decrease 4 percent to $3,072 annually. More information will be available on the Vaden Health Center website.
Stanford remains committed to need-based financial aid
The university's need-based financial aid program for undergraduates is designed to ensure that a family's economic circumstances will not prevent a student from attending Stanford.
This year, Stanford will provide about $112 million in need-based aid from university sources. About 50 percent of undergraduates receive a direct need-based financial aid grant from Stanford. Next year, it expects to provide an equal amount. Since the amount of need-based financial aid is determined by a family's ability to pay, the state of the economy will continue to have a significant effect on the university's total aid budget.
Next year, the total estimated annual student budget is expected to reach $55,500, compared with $53,800 this year. In addition to tuition, room and board, this estimate includes the cost of books, travel and incidentals.
Under an enhanced financial aid program Stanford established in 2008, parents making less than $60,000 a year are not expected to pay tuition or contribute to the costs of room and board and other expenses. Families making less than $100,000 a year do not pay tuition. Many families earning over $100,000 per year also receive generous aid packages, in amounts that vary depending on income and assets. The program also eliminated the need for student loans. The financial aid program is reviewed each year, and adjustments may affect families at higher income levels. Families and students are encouraged to work with the financial aid office to review their individual circumstances.
Student expectation up
All Stanford students are expected to pay a portion of their college costs, typically from summer and part-time campus jobs during the school year and/or outside scholarships. During the 2010-11 school year, undergraduates will be expected to contribute $4,750 to the cost of their education, up from $4,500 this year.
Graduate tuition
Standard graduate tuition will rise 3.5 percent to $38,700 next year, compared with $37,380 this year.
The standard tuition rate for graduate students taking 8 to 10 units will rise 3.5 percent to $25,170, compared with $24,300 this year.
For the fourth consecutive year, terminal graduate registration will remain at $11,040 for the entire year – four quarters – for graduate students who have completed their course work and are working on their dissertations.
Tuition for students in the Graduate Division in Engineering will also increase 3.5 percent to $41,220 next year, compared with $39,840 this year. The tuition rate for graduate students in Engineering taking eight to 10 units will rise 3.5 percent to $26,790, compared with $25,890 this year.
Tuition at Stanford Law School will rise 5.8 percent to $44,880 next year, compared with $42,420 this year.
At the Graduate School of Business, current MBA students will pay $51,321 in tuition next year, the same amount they paid this year, under a program in which MBA students pay the same tuition during each of their two years of study.
Tuition for entering MBA students will rise 3.5 percent to $53,118 next year, compared with $51,321 this year. (Students enrolled in PhD programs at the Business School pay the same rate as general graduate students.)
New tuition structure for Stanford Medical School
At Stanford Medical School, tuition for current MD students will rise 3.5 percent to $46,593 next year, compared with $45,018 this year (or $15,531 per quarter next year, compared with $15,006 this year). Terminal Medical Registration also will increase 3.5 percent to $2,330 next year, compared with $2,251 this year. (Students enrolled in Ph.D. programs at the School of Medicine pay the general graduate student tuition rate.)
Terminal Medical Registration is a category of reduced tuition for advanced students. MD students who have already paid the equivalent of 13 quarters of full tuition and who wish to register for additional quarters prior to receiving the MD degree are eligible for the Terminal Medical Registration rate, which is 15 percent of full tuition.
Under a new tuition structure that will go into effect next year, the Medical School is eliminating the Terminal Medical Registration rate for incoming first-year students. Instead, they will be charged a lower tuition rate across all quarters, except during the quarters when they pursue full-time supervised research. During those quarters, a "research rate" of 20 percent of the regular rate will be applied.
Next year, tuition for incoming medical students will decrease nearly 2 percent to $44,196, or $14,732 per quarter. The research rate will be $2,946 per quarter.
Media Contact
Lisa Lapin, University Communications: (650) 725-8396, lapin@stanford.edu
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