I am deeply in support of the expansion of university resources and the long-term sustainability of higher education. I am not convinced, however, that tying up billions of dollars in private capital is the best way to fulfill WashU’s obligations as an educational institution.

Student Union hosted a Financial Overview detailing spending and income, future financial plans for the University, and how tuition is used in Tisch Commons on March 28.

Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin sat down for an interview with Student Life on March 5, nearly a year after his last Q&A in April 2023. Martin spoke about recent student activism on campus, the state of the endowment, the University’s recent and future property purchases, and where he buys his glasses.

This year’s tuition raise is the highest since 2014 with little to no information on how the money will be spent.

“I don’t doubt for one second that [WashU’s Pell-eligible] numbers would have improved as much if the New York Times had not blasted it as the worst in the country when it came to socioeconomic diversity,” James Murphy, deputy director of higher-education policy at Education Reform Now, said.  In 2014, the New York Times (NYT) […]

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.

The University announced that undergraduate tuition will increase by $2,330 (3.9 percent) for the 2023–2024 academic year, Feb. 1. This increase marks the highest annual tuition hike since the 2011–2012 academic year. 

A WashU education continues to grow pricier, but after a pandemic and record endowment growth, the University should consider the necessity of raising tuition yet again.

Washington University’s annual tuition will increase by 2.6% to $57,750 for the 2021-2022 academic year, Vice Chancellor for Finance Amy Kweskin announced Wednesday.

Students in the top 1% for family income already are represented three times more than students in the bottom 60% in the WU student body, and now tuition is rising again only to hit them harder than higher income students.