As Florida universities move to cap tuitions to retain enrollment in higher-paying fields, LSU trends portray increasing enrollment despite rising tuition.
According to a Time article from Jan. 3, Florida Gov. Rick Scott suggested freezing tuition on schools specializing in fields like engineering, health care, science and technology in order to push students toward higher-paying, more demanded fields.
Dean of the College of Engineering Richard Koubek said about 85 percent of graduating students in the school have jobs when they graduate. He said 10 to 11 percent are headed to graduate school and others will end up going into the military or another path.
“Companies are pretty sharp on how they invest their funds,” Koubek said. “I mean, they’re paying for the quality of student they’re getting, and it’s worth it.”
Koubek said engineering enrollment has increased nationally, but the University has surpassed the national level.
Koubek said the enrollment of the College of Engineering has gone up 40 percent in the last four years, despite rising tuition. Among the freshmen entering the University this year, 20 percent were engineering majors, compared to 16 percent the year before.
Although tuition at the University has been rising, Koubek said tuition is still relatively lower than other universities.
Library and Information Science graduate student Shannan Hicks said Florida’s proposal isn’t a good idea.
“It’s unfair and inequitable,” Hicks said.
She said having a college education allows students to change their minds on what discipline they want to focus on. Allowing some tuition to rise for less demanded degrees would inhibit the freedom of intellectual capital, she said.
Koubek said Florida is reducing tuition for STEM colleges because of the demand for those jobs in the state. To meet this demand, the state is trying to draw more students to the engineering field, he said.
He said enrollment is already high in the engineering college, so he was uncertain whether lowering tuition for the school would affect enrollment any more if such a measure was taken at the University.
Petroleum engineering senior Hasnain Mujahid said increasing tuition is not a right, but a privilege. He said the state should help fund students’ tuition.
