When summer begins for AUC students, many want to continue learning and build their resumes, whether that be by taking a job in their hometown, participating in an internship, or attending a summer class. Enrolling in summer courses should be an experience that does not break the bank for students with a view to continuing their education. American University does not offer this experience.
According to the AU’s Tuition and fees information Website, full year of undergraduate tuition is $53,070 before financial aid and scholarships. This is more than $13,000 more than the average private college tuition fee for 2022-2023 academic year.
When it comes to summer courses, the high prices are very similar. In contrast to the flat rate of tuition that the university charges students for the semesters of an academic year, summer courses are instead charged per credit hour. At $1768 per credit for Summer and T3 termsThe university actually boasts of more affordable summer undergraduate tuition than George Washington University At $2,080 per credit hour, and Georgetown University At $1,910 per credit. However, this slight difference isn’t necessarily a win.
This summer, I decided to take a course in macroeconomics, an economics course required for college communications majors like myself. Looking at the university’s offerings, I came to the amazing discovery that if I wanted to take a six-week asynchronous course, it would be $5,304. It should also be noted that for summer courses at the university, Students must be enrolled in at least six credits To be applicable to need-based aid, so a $5,000+ bill is pretty normal for the average student who only wants to take one course.
For other options, I checked the local community college website, where I found the same course (offered as four credits instead of three) for $128 credit. knowledge He will be transferred Coming to AU, I immediately signed up for a macroeconomics course through Portland Community College.
It left me with the question: Why are university summer courses so expensive, and are they worth the staggering cost?
The idea that many argue is that, as AUC students, we pay more for a “prestige” education than at public schools or community colleges. However, what students often drive over the summer are asynchronous courses. According to the Eagle Service, for the summer term of 2023, there are 249 courses being offered to undergraduate students. Of these courses, 90 are in-person and on-campus at the university, while 62 are offered as synchronous online classes with set times at which students meet and participate in Zoom each week. That leaves 97 courses as asynchronous classes without set meeting times or times to interact with professors and peers, which isn’t worth the same amount of money as an on-campus or even Zoom experience.
The thing I love most about Ajman University is the community I feel in the classrooms. I’ve created incredible bonds with professors and classmates as I sit in class, engage in dialogue, and challenge each other about different ideas. Students simply don’t get that from asynchronous courses, which is one reason why it’s so hard to justify paying so much for them.
One of the most common ideas in AUC is that the only way to finish your degree early is to take summer classes. To think that the only way students can finish classes early through college is by paying $5,000+ a semester further perpetuates the class ideals that tend to infect campus already. The people who can get the most out of their education are the ones who have the ability to pay thousands of dollars for summer classes.
AU’s tuition is already well above the average private school tuition in the country, so expecting students and their families to be willing and able to spend thousands of dollars for additional classes is ludicrous, but on-brand for the university.
Moreover, the university has a few conditions for students like me who choose to study outside the university to save some money. For example, according to University websiteNone of the mandatory Habits of Mind courses may be taken outside of AUC. Scientific Natural Inquiry, for example, includes many different science classes – such as ‘General Biology 1’ and ‘Earth Nature’ – that are offered by other universities, but which, according to the university, must be completed at AU, or they will not count towards habits of mind.
The university should renew tuition for summer courses, which they could do by making asynchronous courses cheaper than in-person courses or even creating some kind of “level” system where classes are on-campus at full credit price, and synchronous online classes are three – Quarters of price and asynchronous classes are half price. This will create a more sustainable and equitable environment for students to participate in summer learning. For now, community colleges and local university courses seem to be the way to go. As long as students work closely with their advisors and ensure this expression equation At University Database, you can never go wrong saving a few thousand dollars.
Alana Parker is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and School of Communication and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Gilinda Montes, Alexis Bernstein, and Abigail Pritchard. Transcripts edited by Isabel Kravis.
aparker@theeagleonline.com