The Spire

Colette Potter ’26

Opinions Editor 

How Holy Cross structures its tuition raises is fundamentally unethical and goes against our Catholic, Jesuit values. To remedy this, Holy Cross should freeze the tuition for incoming students, meaning that the initial per-year price remains the same for your four years at the College.

I think it is wonderful that Holy Cross has many scholarships and financial aid packages granted to students. However, this effect is diminished with year-by-year unknown price increases, especially for the merit-based scholarships that do not increase with tuition increases. 

I’ve heard arguments that all goods increase with inflation and that there is no notice for those. But these goods do not often have an endowment behind them, nor are the product of a Jesuit institution. It is stressful for all families not to know the cost of college for the next year. I know there are also arguments that would say you can bargain for more aid, pick up student employment, etc. What proponents of this do not consider is the stress on families to not know their aid package, to not know the amount to shell out to the College, or for students who are taking on debt to know their final amount to pay back at the start of their college career. Even for families who can afford to pay for the College, it is insane that through my four years here, the price of attendance has risen by around $20,000. That’s the cost of a car… and not even a spiffed-up model. The College’s system creates an exordinate amount of stress on families and students that can be easily avoided.

The current system goes against Jesuit values, and feels exploitative. It is difficult to transfer, especially after your sophomore year. The College effectively has a monopoly on students, especially upperclassmen. The College takes advantage of students, raising prices to an unknown amount every year, and with little to no financial transparency. Where is this money going? There should, at the very least, be a detailed explanation for the use of these extra funds (I think there should be a budget release every year, but that’s beside the point). Yet, there is a simple solution: freeze tuition for incoming students, and commit to that amount every year. 

This would solve the problem of year-over-year stress for students and their families. It would also help them make a better financial decision about what college to attend and help them make a smarter financial decision. This is also a smart decision for Holy Cross because many other competitive colleges are not doing this. Many public universities will commit to tuition freezes, and other colleges, such as Hanover College and Belmont Abbey College, will commit to “Price Promises,” which guarantee that the same tuition as the first-year will be charged for all four years. This is also a smart decision for Holy Cross, as it will make it competitive for many families that can afford college, but also definitely feel a $20,000 increase over four years. 

Furthermore, it may cause the College to make smarter financial decisions, which I believe the school needs to do. I think many colleges feel this need to be an all-inclusive resort instead of a college. I don’t think a little bit of a tighter belt, without the luxury of a student body on whom they can decide to raise prices with little notice or rationale, would be good for the College.

A first-year tuition price-freeze guarantee should be the standard, and Holy Cross should lead the charge. At the very least, Holy Cross’s price hikes should not go above the inflation rate. The current policy is unethical and leads to exorbitant stress on students and their families. You would not expect a car loan or medical billing plan to suddenly increase with no clue as to how much, and a Jesuit, Catholic college should hold themselves accountable and to a higher standard. It is far more ethical for students to have a firm idea of their total cost of college attendance. 

Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross