Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-10-20
COST OF COLLEGES.
Expenses of Tuition Little Higher
Than Half a Century Ago.

! College authorities agree in saying
that the cost of tuition has increased
very little in the last SO or rs years.
1t is the improved style Of living that
makes students expenses much
greater. Although more books are re-
Quired now than were needed half
a century ago, books are so much
, cheaper now than they were then that
the increase in this item is hardly
| perceptible.
! The outside expenses including board
/ and lodging, rs we'll as incidentals, are
much less in country than in city
j colleges. The country colleges are
, those situated in small towns. in which
{ Princeton is the most prominent eX-
ample in the east, and the city colleges
are, Of course, those located in large
cities, such as Columbia, Harvard and
/ Yale.
The extremes of the total annual
expenses Of n student at Harvard,
Columbia or Yale, which are good eX-
amples of the city college, are put
at $3.50 for the lowest and $4,000 for
the highest. The student who is limit
ed to $3.50 has to deprive himself of
almost all luXuries and amusementS,
and to eat the cheapest food, while
the $1,000 student lives very much in
the style of 4 wealthy New York or
| Boston family. But both of these es-
Inmates are extremes. The poor stu.
! dent spends annually from $3.50 to 5000
in the scholastic year, and the wealthy
one from $500 to $1,000. There are
said to be some, but only a few stu
dents at Harvard whose annual eX-
penses exceed $1,000 a year,
! The necessary expenses of a com
p3atiyely poor student in one Of the
! city" colleges are itemized as follows
! for the scholastic year of So weeks:
Tuition, $3.50; room rent with chum)
SD; table board, $3.50; coal and gas,
$50; text books, $25 and although
these items amount to only SAT- in
! the aggregate, the cost Of washing,
clothing, travelling expenses and Incl
! dentalS brings the total to at least $500
"a ear. For the wealthy young man
/ tuition is the same, $3.50; room rent
!
t subscriptions ID college enterprises,
club meberships, thpater tickets, sup
pers. $500. This last item is usually
! the heaviest in the city college mans
! account. A private servant, a horse
| fuel, books, clothes and incidentals
rapidly run the total up to $4,000 with
out any great exertion on the stu.
dents part.
| This does not apply, of course, to the
free city colleges, and at Yale the ex
penses are from $50 to 500 a year
less. These are the expensive colleges
of the country, and yet to call then
rich mems colleges would be doing
them an injustice, for the aid they give
every year to poor and deserving stu
dents is very great. This aid is giver
in the form of prizes, scholarships and
presents, each donation ranging be
tween $40 and 1925 in value. Harvard
alone gave the poor students last veal
more than $SS,0O0 1t must be said fol
all the American colleges, cheap OF
dear, city or country, that deserving
and studiouS men are seldom com
PEELED to leave them for want Of funds
In the country colleges the expenses
both necessary and unnecessary arr
much lower. Tuition is cheaper, and 81
are board. room rent and fuel. There
are no theaters or other expensive
places Of amusement, and the extra:
that are SO large an item in the city
become very small.
The expenses at Princeton and Am
: herst, both large country colleges
: range between $3.50 and $1,000 a year
: At the lowest estimate, room rent will
a chum is SIS; tuition. 800; meals a
cub at So a week. s114; books. SIS
: fuel and lights, SIS: subscriptions, SIS
extras. $50; total, $500; to which mus
be added clothes, washing and furni
ture.