Colleges across the country have responded to the pandemic by waiving some fees. However, many students (and parents) are questioning why tuition hasn't budged.
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois is one school that's lowered its tuition for some students by 10 percent. But many colleges aren't, even though students can't get the full in-person campus experience. Why? Derin Dickerson, an Atlanta-based lawyer representing several colleges, says salaries and server costs aren't cheaper just because classes have gone online.
“To deliver academic content remotely is expensive,” Dickerson told KTRH. He’s says that’s even more difficult for colleges and universities not prepared to take on the immense transition.
However, that’s not a good enough reason for many. Some parents, like Bryan Preston (whose son is attending UT San Antonio), say they shouldn't have to pay the same cost for less educational value.
“Universities need to respond, they have to respond, to the same economic pressures that the rest of us our under,” Preston said.
Dickerson argues many colleges simply don't have the big endowment like Northwestern University.