College officials tell of tangible effects caused by student debt.
Melissa Tinklepaugh
Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: News
"People don't look at education debt the way they do their credit card payment, and so because of that, it's not a priority, and there's more leeway in their mindset," Kirwan said. "The problem is we have bills to pay on campus, and obviously with the cuts, if we don't collect our tuition revenue, we don't get our allocation from the state."
The Office of International Education & Programs does not have detailed information about international students being unable to return to SUNY Potsdam in light of changes in the economy. "Currently, we do not have any statistics on International Students who cannot return to SUNY Potsdam for financial reasons. So far there are very few students who have indicated that they will not be returning next year due to tuition increases," Program Specialist Evan Mill said.
Director of SUNY Potsdam's Office of Admissions, Tom Nesbitt said, "We will bring in between 1150 and 1200 new freshmen and transfer students. This will represent a slight increase over last year's totals. While final statistics will not be available for a few months, early returns show increases across the board in most regions of New York with a decline in both out of state and international students. We attribute that decline to an over 20 percent increase in tuition for both populations."
Kirwan said more students are staying local in the St. Lawrence County area because they can afford to come to school here because of savings in transportation costs. "With the four colleges we have here, there's a lot of opportunity."
Kirwan advised students consider attending colleges in their home state, rather than paying out-of-state tuition. "I'd hate to lose them, but if they're from a different area, maybe it'd make sense to do that."
The Office of International Education & Programs does not have detailed information about international students being unable to return to SUNY Potsdam in light of changes in the economy. "Currently, we do not have any statistics on International Students who cannot return to SUNY Potsdam for financial reasons. So far there are very few students who have indicated that they will not be returning next year due to tuition increases," Program Specialist Evan Mill said.
Director of SUNY Potsdam's Office of Admissions, Tom Nesbitt said, "We will bring in between 1150 and 1200 new freshmen and transfer students. This will represent a slight increase over last year's totals. While final statistics will not be available for a few months, early returns show increases across the board in most regions of New York with a decline in both out of state and international students. We attribute that decline to an over 20 percent increase in tuition for both populations."
Kirwan said more students are staying local in the St. Lawrence County area because they can afford to come to school here because of savings in transportation costs. "With the four colleges we have here, there's a lot of opportunity."
Kirwan advised students consider attending colleges in their home state, rather than paying out-of-state tuition. "I'd hate to lose them, but if they're from a different area, maybe it'd make sense to do that."
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