Letter: Nonresident tuition's too generous

As professionals who have devoted entire careers to college finance, we are very disturbed by the recent legislation that was passed by New York State under the so-called "rational tuition plan" ["Cuomo signs tuition plan for SUNY," News, Aug. 10].

The bill authorizes the SUNY four-year colleges and universities to boost tuition by $300 annually for five years. This would raise tuition from under $5,000 now to about $6,470 after five years. We have no problem with this as it is a very modest increase.

However, what is not mentioned is the incredibly low tuition that is paid by out-of-state students who attend SUNY colleges. They pay $12,870 for tuition, or a little more than twice as much as a New York State resident. However, when a New York State resident attends an out-of-state public school, we are charged much more.

For example, if a New York State resident attends Penn State University, the tuition is more than $26,000. The University of Michigan charges out-of-state students $38,000; the University of Virginia charges $31,000, and the University of Vermont charges $32,000. Please note that these costs do not include room and board, which are generally the same for all students.

We have never understood why New York State is so generous in providing a wonderful education at our best schools to nonresident students at such a low cost. New York State can no longer afford to subsidize the rest of the country. We should insist that the state drastically raise tuition rates for out-of-state students who contribute no tax money and are taking advantage of our generosity.

Barry Fox, Merrick

Shannon Sullivan, Bellmore

Editor's note: The writers are college financial aid consultants.