Can Universities Increase Tuition Mid-Semester

[kayann23]

My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: New York. With all the tuition increases at schools around the country, I was wondering if schools can legally increase tuition mid-semester. I paid off my full balance and at the end of the semester my school announced a tuition increase effective immediately and has since charged my account almost an additional $1000 even though I finished taking my finals for the semester. Can they do this? I don't mind paying the increase at the start of next semester, but it seems like there should be a law that once I agreed to the terms they can't change them whenever they want to.

[davidmcbeth3]

Is this increase retroactive? I see an issue with this. You agree to pay at the beginning & they accepted a payment plan. What school is this?

[kayann23]

Thank you for responding. I'm a student at Stony Brook University. As a state funded school they claim that they just implemented this policy because their budget was just approved. "You may recall that the new tuition plan was first announced before the start of
the fall semester; however, Stony Brook could not implement the Academic Excellence and Success fee and non-resident tuition increase until they were
officially approved by the state, which occurred yesterday. " Can they do this? Here's the full letter I received:




Dear Stony Brook Students and Families,

We are writing to all undergraduate students who are not New York State
residents for tuition purposes to inform you that your tuition and fees will be
increasing, effective with the Fall 2011 semester. The new rates will be posted
to your account in SOLAR and will be due and payable on January 15, 2012.

As part of the new SUNY tuition plan, all students will be billed a $75 Academic
Excellence and Success fee ($37.50 per semester for fall 2011 and spring 2012).
Also, your non-resident tuition will increase by 10 percent, an increase of $670
per semester for full time students in both fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters.
This tuition increase is prorated for part time students.

These increases will bring Stony Brook University much-needed resources to
strengthen our academic programs in many ways, including improving the
student-faculty ratio, providing timely access to classes needed for graduation,
and creating new opportunities for students to work directly with some of the
very best professors in the nation.

You may recall that the new tuition plan was first announced before the start of
the fall semester; however, Stony Brook could not implement the Academic
Excellence and Success fee and non-resident tuition increase until they were
officially approved by the state, which occurred yesterday.

We recognize that this tuition increase is being implemented at mid-year, and we
will be happy to work out an extension of the January 15, 2012 deadline if you
need more time to accommodate these changes.

In anticipation of this increase, your financial aid package was originally
calculated to include this additional cost. Students who wish to reconsider
previously declined loans, or discuss alternative loan options, should contact
the Financial Aid Office.

To request an extension of the due date, or for any other questions about your
account, please call the Student Accounts Office, or visit www.stonybrook.edu/bursar.
We do recognize that we�re asking you to pay more for your education, and we
hope you will continue to find it to be an extraordinary value.

Thank you for your continued support of Stony Brook University.

Sincerely,

Student Accounts
Stony Brook University[/SIZE]

[flyingron]

It looks like they told you prior to fall semester enrollment that the fees were increasing but they just got around to formally billing you. I don't see any way around this.