The Miami University Board of Trustees authorized an increase in both residential and board costs for incoming Miami students at a meeting last month.
According to David Creamer, senior vice president for finance and business services at Miami, the rates for current students will not increase and the changes will only impact students enrolling at Miami for the first time in the fall of 2024.
The changes only impact room and board. An increase in tuition costs will be discussed at the next board of trustees meeting, he said.
Miami has a tuition guarantee promise, which means that the cost of tuition for each student will remain unchanged for four years. The university refers to the group of students enrolling each semester as a cohort, and the changes to the budget will impact the fall 2024 cohort.
“Ohio does not appropriate any funding for a student’s room or meal costs,” said Creamer. “The increases are simply the increased cost to provide these services to students.”
There are three fees that make up the cost of living in a residence hall. A fee for the room itself, a fee for dining on campus, and a fee for the services supporting the students living in the residence halls, such as paying resident directors and resident assistants.
According to Creamer, adjustments to costs are usually made annually. These adjustments cover the increasing cost of compensation for the employees of the university working in these areas, rising food costs and rising utility costs.
Joe Murray, a parent of two current in-state Miami students said he was not surprised to learn about the increase in the cost of room and board.
“Miami is such a great spot and we get really good value there,” said Murray. “While I am certainly not thrilled about any price increase, it is hard for me to complain when you compare it to the off-campus housing stock.”
Murray has one daughter living in the dorms and one daughter living in an off-campus house. According to him, the quality of living in the dorms is much higher and better maintained than he has seen with off-campus housing, so the increase in cost makes sense.
“Compared to what is going on with the rest of the marketplace, from an inflation standpoint, [the increase] sounds pretty well in check,” said Murray.
Across Ohio, other universities are practicing similar adjustments. In 2023, The Ohio State University raised room and board and tuition for incoming students by 4.6%. This adjustment costs in-state students $549 more per year, and out-of-state students $1,703 more.
This trend is also seen throughout the United States. According to the Education Data Initiative, inflation plays a role in increasing tuition costs, but it is not the only reason bills are getting higher. From 2010 to 2022, college tuition inflation averaged 12% annually, and 9.4% annually for 4-year institutions.
