ALLENDALE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Students at Grand Valley State University have started an online petition to protest the school’s recent 3% increase in tuition.
The change will cost full-time students $192 more per semester.
As of Sunday morning, the petition had collected more than 4,000 signatures. Rayna Johnson, the political science major who started it, says with the university resorting to mostly online classes because of coronavirus, many students don’t think it’s fair that the price of tuition is rising.
“There’s just so many facilities and activities that we’re not going to have access to, that it doesn’t make sense how tuition is also rising,” said Johnson.
GVSU officials say the tuition hike approved by the Board of Trustees was offset by a nearly $8 million increase in financial aid on top of $9 million in federal CARES Act payments already made to students.
The university also adds, “GVSU is committed to more financial aid for more students and has earmarked additional resources for years to come.”
However, Johnson says she doesn’t think this change is equitable for all students.
“A lot of us just aren’t going to be going to campus period, so we’re not going to be utilizing any of those things. It’s our education; we should have a say in it,” she said.