Clemson University tuition will increase 12.7 percent. At the University of South Carolina, the hike will be 11 percent. That includes all four-year campuses in the USC system, including USC Beaufort.
This fall's increases are actually less than previous years, but it continues a pattern that needs examination. It is unclear how the cost increases are balanced by improved service.
Tuition at the state's public colleges and universities rose by 70 percent from 1998 to 2003. In 2002 alone, the tuition at the state's public colleges soared by 20.7 percent. Last year, the increase was 16.5 percent.
That far and away outstrips increases in personal income or inflation.
According to the state treasurer's office, tuition costs rose from $3,475 in 1998 to $5,891 in 2002.
That is too much.
There is not enough accountability for such steep increases. The steady hikes are leading to higher personal debt for students and parents, and are said to be keeping some students from being able to go to college. It also is putting a great burden on the South Carolina Tuition Prepayment Program, a wise program offered by the General Assembly to help parents prepare for future college expenses.
The South Carolina Education Lottery has helped thousands of students go to college in state, but that should not keep a public education from being affordable for others. Not every student qualifies for the scholarships, and many more fail to keep them once they get in college. Stark tuition hikes started at about the time many parents got a big break through the LIFE scholarships funded by the lottery, but just because it helps many families keep from feeling the brunt of college costs does not justify a 70 percent jump.
It is another signal that higher education in South Carolina needs to be overhauled. The state is trying to support 33 colleges and universities, including two separate medical colleges. The state cannot afford it. State budget cuts to higher education are cited by university boards as they jack up fees. While the General Assembly likes to claim it is not raising taxes, fee increases of 70 percent to attend a public college is certainly a tax increase.
South Carolina should give serious attention to Gov. Mark Sanford's proposals to change higher education. Sanford is open to suggestions, but he is right to say there is a serious problem that the legislature is ignoring. The state should look at its system of governance and its duplication of services in higher education. In doing so, it could build in more accountability for tuition hikes that are out of control.