International students are subjected to yet another tuition increase. Amelia Dickson of “The Seattle Times” wrote that international students’ tuition would amplify by 20 percent if state Senate advances a bill proposed by the Washington State 48 Legislative District Senator Rodney Tom. According to the article, Tom is increasing tuition to add to the Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition program which is in need of extra funding. GET is a 529 savings plan governed by the state of Washington in order to prepay for expenses associated with the beneficiary attending a higher education institution.
As some may know, currently, international students’ tuition is around three times as much as local students. We also spend a good amount of money on other things such as food, transportation, rent, clothing and others. Tamara Lewin wrote on “The New York Times,” “By the reckoning of the Institute of International Education, foreign students in the United States contribute about $21 billion a year to the national economy, including $463 million here in Washington State.” The quote helps to paint a clearer picture on how much international students are contributing to the U.S. economy, particularly Washington State’s economy.
As an international student, I think that the current tuition fees are very expensive, especially for four-year universities. For the University of Washington, international students are subjected to around $10,000 per quarter just for tuition and fees. Contrary to popular belief, not all international students are wealthy. Some or most students study in the U.S. because American degrees are more respected compared to their local degrees and they hope to make a better living by coming to the U.S.
I am probably not going to transfer to the UW even though I know I have the required GPA and am quite experienced in different things outside of school. The tuition fee is just not realistic for my family and I am sure that some students feel the same. The only thing I can work on is getting a scholarship to help me pay through my college.
If international students’ tuition fees are increasing by another 20 percent, I am pretty sure that there will be less international students who are willing to study there. If this happens, businesses of any sort around the Seattle area will suffer because there wont be enough international students to rent houses and spend on groceries, clothing, automobiles and other transportation fees too.
The reason behind the tuition increase, as stated in the first paragraph, is very inconsiderate. International students are expected to pay for something that we don’t even use. Why should international students pay for things that don’t even matter to us?
I personally do not like the idea of increasing international students tuition fees, especially for the reasons above. I hope that the bill proposed will not pass in the state senate so that international students won’t suffer more.
