Amanda Seef needs a little over USD $600 for her final year at Brockport College, which is the approximate amount that her tuition is increasing due to the State University of New York’s (SUNY) 2009 14 percent tuition hike.

“Between the private credit crunch and the tuition increase, I was considering moving home and studying at a community college where the journalism program is in shambles,” Seef said.

What upsets Seef is that only $62 of her $620-increase will benefit SUNY. The remaining 90 percent of increased tuition will go to New York’s $1.6 billion Critical Deficit Reduction Legislation. In total, the tuition increase is expected to contribute $61million to the Critical Deficit Reduction Legislation.

Students across New York State are struggling to stay in college because of the tuition increase. Many have dropped out.

Barmak Nassirian, Associate Executive Director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, explained that while 10 percent of increased tuition will not improve education, students could still experience financial pressure until the budget is balanced.

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