Syracuse University’s international student population is on the rise, and tuition is growing along with it.

Incoming freshmen in the Class of 2022 will be the first batch of SU students to pay a $3,300 tuition premium that will support the Invest Syracuse initiative. The $72,329 cost of attendance has the potential to hit hard for future international students, who have fewer financial aid options than domestic students. And it will take institutional support to help these students deal with it effectively.

Andy Mendes | Digital Design Editor

Per SU administrators, the tuition hike will fund an improved “student experience,” and increased financial aid could make up the difference. But the concept of student experience implies a singularity to how students live at SU, even though international students have diverse needs just like other subsets of the student population.

To ease concerns about rising costs, SU should clarify how Invest Syracuse will improve the international student experience. Even if current students won’t pay the tuition premium, SU can open a line of communication with the Slutzker Center for International Services to generate essential feedback and better connect with the community.

When international applicants look at SU, they’ll look at the size of its residence hall rooms and the strength of its academic programs to make a decision. But they’ll also look at international student resources, which haven’t grown alongside the university’s rising international student population. That lack of growth paired with higher tuition may not make SU the most desirable — or feasible — choice for international applicants.

After all, international students already carry a bigger burden than domestic students. Home is further away, and financial aid can be more complicated, making the transition to college that much harder. And international students could use all the support they can get.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here.

Published on November 13, 2017 at 1:43 am

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