Ferris’ housing and dining has cut their rates for single rooms over the last three years but have made other choices more expensive.
In the 2018-19 school year the rate for a single room $7,566 dollars for the academic school year. The price changed this school year to $7,679 dollars, an increase of $113 dollars, but next years rate has been slashed by $479 equaling out to $7,200 for the academic year.
Even with these cuts, many returning students still find no interest with boarding at the university.
“I have looked at the prices of other apartments and I feel like I am getting ripped off by the university if I choose to room and board here next year” Ferris nursing major freshman Emma Herman said.
Comparatively, the average cost of Campus Creek apartments are around $400 dollars a month. That is with utilities. Campus Creek also pays for your parking pass for the school year. These apartments also have other incentives for students to stay there for the year.
The lowest costing apartment on campus are the west campus apartments with two to three beds. Starting at $665 dollars a month for the 2020-21 academic year.
Ferris has been trying to combat these prices by lowering rates, but there is a reason why they cannot match these prices.
These rate changes come from a board of trustees and they base it off the administration’s recommendations. The board tried to generate the same revenue of the previous year(s). Thus, there has been a lower demand in single rooms, so they have cut the cost.
So, with North Hall, it has been in high demand ever since it was built, so the rate has been raised throughout the years.
Ferris has still been trying to become more affordable for students in the nation by other ways such as cutting the prices of meal plans, or credits. According to study.com, Ferris ranked 37th out of 50 in the “Most Affordable Colleges.”
“The cost of higher education increased significantly in the last 10-15 years as state support diminished. Ferris will take every opportunity to hold down cost of attendance when it can be done without sacrificing quality” Ferris’ Vice President for administration and finance Jim Bachmeier said.
Over the years, Ferris has been below the average of Michigan College attendance rates. The average difference from Ferris’ cost to the average of Michigan colleges is $1,178.
Another student had a thought on why Ferris has been trying to become more affordable over the past few years.
“I think Ferris is in a rural area and I think they do not have as much money in this area, so I think [Ferris] is becoming more affordable so it attracts more people to this area,” Ferris pre-med sophomore Callie Jacobson said.
The average cost of attendance for in-state students during the 2018-19 academic year was $12,068 compared to Michigan’s college average of $14,160.