Crunching Numbers:

Though they make up only 30 percent of the student body, out-of-state students pay much higher tuition--what's the breakdown?

Rated the No. 1 public regional university in the South for the past seven years by U.S. News & World Report, JMU attracts prospective students from many locations.

For the past few years, in-state students generally have made up 70 percent of the student body, leaving 30 percent for non-Virginians. Most out-of-state students hail from northeastern states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

In addition to slight differences in accent, style and atmosphere, there are many important financial differences that separate the collegiate experience of students hailing from Virginia and their out-of-state classmates.

The foremost is undergraduate tuition.

Out-of-state students must pay a significantly higher tuition cost, and the cost keeps rising.

The 2001-'02 academic year brought increases in comprehensive fees, which cover non-academic campus activities, such as student organizations, health care, transportation, recreation and athletics. As a result, total tuition and fees went up $94 for in-state students, raising overall costs from $4,000 to $4,094, an increase of 2.4 percent.

Meanwhile, out-of-state students were faced with a harsher scenario. Tuition and fees for non-Virginia students increased 7.7 percent, raising the cost from $9,850 to $10,606.

According to David Eton, assistant vice president of University Budget Management, the state of Virginia is closely evaluating the matter. There is still a tuition freeze for all Virginia students; however, former Gov. Jim Gilmore and current Gov. Mark Warner have made new proposals for the 2002-'03 budget. These include a 5 percent increase on in-state tuition for all Virginia colleges and universities. All the money collected from this increase would go back to the state, not to individual university budgets.

According to Eton, most administrators, himself included, do not necessarily agree with the new proposal. "I view this proposal as a tax on students and their parents, and I think most people would agree," Eton said.

Over the past few years, out-of-state tuition has steadily increased. However, according to Eton, this is not a result of the university's inability to raise in-state tuition.

Virginia requires out-of-state students to pay at least 100 percent of the cost of education, leaving individual universities to add more to the cost, according to Eton. Last year, non-Virginia students at JMU paid exactly the amount required by the state, he said.

Some out-of-state students approve of the higher costs.

"I think out-of-state students should have to pay more money," sophomore Caroline Zito of Connecticut said. "It's our choice to go to a school far from home."

Junior Jennifer Byrne of New Jersey took a different view. "I don't necessarily think it's fair that out-of-state tuition is so much higher," she said. "It was my decision to come to school here, but it does seem like a big difference."

Joan Hargrave, mother of junior Michele Hargrave of New Jersey, said, "I think the out-of-state rates are very reasonable. JMU provides a quality education, a good atmosphere and top-notch technology for a better price than most other schools."

JMU administrators currently do not know what the tuition rates will be for the 2002- '03 academic year, Eton said. Plans for the new budget will be presented for final approval to the Board of Visitors March 22. The tuition also will depend on the joint proposal by Gilmore and Warner. The state legislature has not made a decision and will not know until late February when the House and the Senate meet to exchange budget proposals and resolve conflicts, according to Eton.

Summer term tuition will be substantially different for non-Virginians this year. In-state students will continue to pay $52 per hour, while tuition for others will increase from $248 to $270 per hour.

Room and board fees also were raised from $5,290 to $5,458 this year for both in-state and out-of-state undergraduates. Approvals still must be made before new figures for the 2002-'03 academic year are determined. This is the first in a series that will examine major differences in the financial concerns of in- and out-of-state JMU students. Other issues to be tackled include scholarships and travel.