The steady pace of annual tuition fee increases slowed in 2020 as colleges responded to the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating financial effects on American families. Outlook 2021-2022 scholarship fees, families can expect the same, as colleges can take a similar approach by freezing tuition fees or applying only small increases.

Although tuition fees rose at a historically low rate during the 2020-2021 academic year, college students across the country staged petitions and strikes calling for refunds when classes were moved to line due to COVID-19, as well as significant cost reductions.

Willem Morris, an elder at Columbia university in New York, is one of those students who advocates for a reduction in tuition fees for the current spring semester of 2021, as well as increased financial aid, and hopes that a strike will lead to the long-term reversal of what he says are “unfair and extorting” schooling practices. During this strike, students will refuse to pay their due tuition fees until certain demands are met.

“For most of the Americans who struggled to find jobs, who were made redundant, who couldn’t find the summer jobs they had in the past because of the pandemic, 2020 has been a It’s an incredibly tough fiscal year. It’s really, really frustrating that some schools will charge more for college in 2021 than they did in 2020, even though people are still struggling, ”Morris said. students are finally starting to oppose it. “

Columbia charged $ 64,380 in tuition and fees for the 2020-2021 year, according to data from US News, although the university has given discounts for some of its fees after going online.

While current and prospective undergraduates can look forward to lower college costs, small increases or freezes may be more common for the next school year.

Baylor University in Texas, for example, announced its intention to increase tuition fees from 2021 to 2022 by 2%, claiming on its website that the increase is smaller than expected and was made “in recognition of the economic challenges facing de many families are facing due to COVID-19. ”Meanwhile, Marquette University in Wisconsin announced it would freeze undergraduate tuition fees in response to the pandemic.

Michael R. Lovell, president of Marquette, says students can potentially expect this freeze at many other colleges as they seek to support families while battling a higher education crisis of their own. .

“There will likely be very few schools that will have significant tuition increases this year,” Lovell said. “Educational institutions like Marquette need to think about how we can cut costs, cut discretionary spending, and look at staffing levels to make sure we can balance the cost to educate students and what they are able to afford, ”he said, noting that the university has taken on more expenses due to the pandemic.

Public colleges and universities face many of the same financial challenges and increased costs from the pandemic, and these institutions are also facing cuts in state funding.

“We’ve seen just about in every area that our schools are facing budget cuts to varying degrees, and they’ve been pretty big,” said Bryan J. Cook, vice president of data analytics and policies at the Association of Public and Land. -subsidized universities, an organization of nearly 250 member institutions. “So while there may be a lot of other aspects to COVID policies that vary by state, one thing that’s been pretty consistent is budget cuts.”

The magnitude of these cuts and the effects on institutions and students will vary from state to state, and with the country in the early stages of rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine, a lot remains. unknown for the next academic year.

Despite the potential cuts in state funding, lost revenue and expenses related to meeting safety standards to get students back to campus, Cook said: “Institutions are very much aware of the challenges facing them. their students and they try to make every effort to accommodate students, and especially low income students – so if there is a possibility to adjust the tuition, I’m sure that will be on the table . “

Are you trying to finance your studies? Get advice and more in the United States Pay for college center.