The International Services Office is predicting an increase in the cost of living for international students, said Natalie Rigby, director of the ISO.
According to the Office of Budget and Planning, tuition and fees for all students have increased since the 2003-2004 academic year.
The fall 2003 tuition and fees added up to $5,510 for a nonresident, compared to the cost of a Louisiana resident’s tuition and fees, which came to $2,110.
In spring 2004, costs went up slightly and nonresidents paid $5,516, compared to the $2,116 residents paid.
For the 2003-2004 academic year, nonresidents, including international students, paid $5,300 more than Louisiana residents.
Now, in addition to increasing tuition and fees, the cost of living is rising at the University.
While the ISO was updating the immigration database for the University tuition costs and fees, Rigby said they evaluated what they listed as the estimated living expenses for a nine-month academic year.
For the past five years, the ISO cited the estimated cost of living for an international student as $6,300.
More recently, the ISO raised the expected nine-month living expenses to $7,000.
Rigby said this increase was based on several factors.
“We looked at the city information and cost-of-living information from different Web sites and based our conclusion on those things,” Rigby said.
Rigby said the rise in costs naturally will affect international students’ lifestyles at the University.
“On any playing field or expense issue, rising costs may put things out of the affordance range for individuals,” Rigby said.