Colleges Shouldn't Hike Tuition After May 1 (opinion)

"As a married academic couple, we were excited for our oldest daughter to begin her college journey. Starting her sophomore year of high school, she carefully analyzed her options along many dimensions, from location and program offerings to student life and academic rigor. After she developed a short list of about 20 universities, we created a spreadsheet that categorized colleges on anything that could be quantified. As offers and acceptance letters began rolling in, yet another spreadsheet carefully tracked tuition, room and board, and scholarships."

"After this careful analytic work, 13 on-campus visits and countless hours of conversation, our daughter chose the University of Florida. It was a tough decision; she had offers from other good colleges, including in- and out-of-state options that were more financially competitive. In the end, she valued UF's high academic rigor and reputation combined with a relatively affordable cost. She made her choice about two weeks before the national May 1 decision deadline, and we began to prepare for her move to Gainesville."

"Then the state of Florida changed the financial picture. On June 18, the state of Florida's Board of Governors permitted public universities to increase out-of-state student fees by 10 percent for the 2025-26 academic year (though called "fees," this is in effect Florida's term for the differential tuition costs paid by out-of-staters). And on July 23-more than two months after the national decision deadline,"

The family used detailed spreadsheets and 13 campus visits to evaluate about 20 universities across academics, student life, and costs. Their daughter selected the University of Florida, valuing its academic rigor, reputation, and relative affordability, and finalized her decision about two weeks before the national May 1 deadline. The family planned how to pay for college based on tuition and scholarship figures posted on the university website. On June 18, the Florida Board of Governors allowed a 10 percent increase in out-of-state student fees for 2025-26, and further action occurred on July 23, more than two months after the decision deadline.

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