On Feb. 1, an email pinged into the inboxes of Washington University undergraduates: annual tuition increase! Students weren’t surprised; everyone and their families get this email every year. The message is short: we will now pay $61,750 for a year at WashU, 3.9% more than the current price of $59,420. Housing, dining plans, and the wellness fee will be notched up as well. The grand total for the full package is somewhere between $80K and $83K. 

Below the numbers is a section titled “Tuition-Related Frequently Asked Questions.” The paragraphs address, unfortunately, neither topics that directly relate to tuition increases, nor questions that Student Life believes students are most likely to ask upon learning their tuition has increased. To be clear, the Q&A section does reference policies that are commendable: the highlighted initiatives cover the University’s new (as of the last couple of years) financial aid commitments, the Gateway to Success need-blind policy, and, puzzlingly, a notice that WashU’s endowment had a return of negative 10.6% in 2022. 

One question that is not answered in the FAQ section is perhaps the most obvious: what, exactly, is the increased tuition income actually going towards? The information sheet seems to suggest that the money is going towards financial aid, and that maybe the loss of endowment money means that the University is extra-strapped for cash this year. Or possibly, the 6.5% inflation rate in 2022 means that WashU has to inflate tuition to match; if this is the case, we hope that maintenance workers, dining staff, and instructional assistants are also receiving increased wages.

Following last year’s tuition increase, The Source published another FAQ, but this, too, fell short of sharing a tangible breakdown of where the hiked tuition will be spent. The article gestures at the “cost of operating an institution like ours” and mentions that tuition dollars allow WashU to “attract the best and brightest students and faculty, maintain and add to the quality of our academic programs and facilities, and continue our rich tradition of excellence.” These goals, while commendable, are abstract. In what ways will the increased tuition benefit students and faculty? What programs and facilities will be enhanced? 

The issue is, students and families don’t know exactly where their money is going, or how it’s being used, nor are we privy to any information about how tuition increases are calculated each year. We are asking for a detailed breakdown of University expenses, broken down by general category. How much tuition money actually goes towards the financial aid packages highlighted? If the endowment performs poorly, does tuition increase more? In 2021, the endowment returned a staggering 65%, allowing for the Gateway to Success need-blind initiative. Yet tuition still increased by 2.9%, suggesting that the two factors are not necessarily correlated. 

The same day as the tuition increase email, it was reported that WashU bought seven buildings — including Pin-Up Bowl — and two parking lots from Loop real estate giant Joe Edwards. Did student dollars help finance that deal? Without more transparency, we’ll never know. 

Hearing that we have to spend more year after year is painful, and without knowledge of exactly where our money is going, we end up speculating. Maybe our tuition is going towards the WashU Pledge, or maybe it’s going towards those thousand-dollar lawn chairs that dot Mudd Field. 

We ask the WashU administration to cushion the blow of the annual tuition increase email by providing more clarity into the inner financial workings of the University. Transparency would be a sign of respect for students and families that continue to pay tuition or take out loans in order to educate themselves or their loved ones. We ask the administration to cut the vague flowery language about novel programs and exciting opportunities and simply reveal the circumstances that surround each year’s inevitable tuition increase. 

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the junior and senior staff. 

Via Poolos, Managing Scene Editor

Clara Richards, Managing Sports Editor

Reilly Brady, Managing Forum Editor

Jamila Dawkins, Managing Forum Editor

Ved Patel, Chief of Copy

Alice Gottesman, Senior Scene Editor