The Board of Trustees approved a 5.9-percent increase in tuition, room, board and fees for the 2011-2012 academic year, according to a College press release on Monday. With the increase, tuition, room, board and fees will total $55,365. Dartmouth is currently the most expensive of the seven Ivy League schools that have announced tuition costs for the 2011-2012 academic year.
The cost of room, board and fees for undergraduate students will rise from $12,297 to $13,629, representing an overall 10.83-percent increase. Undergraduate tuition will increase by 4.4 percent in the 2011-2012 academic year, from $39,978 to $41,736.
The College will likely experience a $3 million increase in financial aid expenditures in the 2011-2012 academic year totaling a projected $80 million, up from this year's $77 million, according to the press release.
Cornell University's undergraduate costs increased by 4.5 percent, The Harvard Crimson reported. At $54,645, Cornell's costs for the next academic year are closest to Dartmouth's figure.
Undergraduate costs at Princeton University will increase by one percent to total $49,069 the lowest in the Ivy League for the upcoming academic year, according to a Princeton press release.
Harvard University increased its undergraduate costs by 3.8 percent to $52,650 for the 2011-2012 academic year, while Yale University undergraduate fees rose to $52,700, representing a 5.8-percent increase over the previous year, according to press releases from the Universities. Undergraduate costs increased by 3.5 percent at Brown University and 3.9 percent at the University of Pennsylvania.
Although Columbia University has not yet released the cost of undergraduate tuition and fees for the next academic year, the 2010-2011 academic year costs totaled $56,684, according to Columbia's website.
Despite the increased costs, members of the Class of 2012, 2013 and 2014 will still receive the necessary financial aid packages from the College, according to Maria Laskaris, director of Admissions and Financial Aid.
"As cost of attendance rises, the amount of scholarships in financial aid packages will increase to cover demonstrated need, assuming income does not change dramatically," she said. "This will vary from student to student."
Laskaris said she does not expect the yield for applicants who applied and were admitted to the Class of 2015 through regular decision to decrease due to the increased costs for next year.
"The strength of our financial aid programs is one of the reasons why many students choose Dartmouth from among other very good offers," she said. "We have been very up-front with applicants that we have a no-loan and free tuition policy for those below $75,000."
Laskaris said it is "hard to know" the impact the increased costs will have on prospective applicants to the College.
"Many of our peers have increased tuition at a greater percentage throughout their history, and it doesn't seem to slow the growth of applicant pools," she said.
The College will continue to maintain its need-blind financial aid program, according to Laskaris.
Tuition for Dartmouth Medical School and the Tuck School of Business will increase by 6 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. Undergraduate tuition rates apply to students in the Thayer School of Engineering and the arts and sciences graduate programs, according to the College press release.
The Board originally deferred a decision on tuition costs following its Feb. 4 conference call meeting, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Last year, the College announced a 4.6-percent increase in undergraduate tuition and fees, compared to 4.8 percent and 4.9 percent in the 2009-2010 and 2008-2009 academic years, respectively, according to the College's Fact Book.
