Where Does Our Tuition Money Go?

Tuition rates went up for fall, which means that those of us suckers who are taking summer school (i.e. Scalito and myself) are stuck paying at the new increased rate. Let's just say that is almost $1,000 a credit.

The class we are taking is 3 credits, so that translates into about $3k each.

There are 44 people in the class. Doing the math, that translates into about $132k.

So the school is collecting $132k for a 7-week class.

The professor is only being paid $9k to teach the summer class.

So after you pay the prof, the school still has $123k. What I want to know is -- what do they do with it?

I'd presume that most of the fall/spring tuition is what goes to pay the faculty and staffs' annual salaries since there hasn't always been summer school, when there has been the offerings are limited, and enrollment is unpredictable.

One could hypothesize that they use the summer money to pay for the building's utilities over the summer, but whether there are classes here in the summer or not, the building stays open so presumably the budget for such expenses is based off of regular school year enrollment.

Not to mention the fact that this school almost tops the list of law schools regarding endowments. There is so much money flowing around this place that I'm surprised the fixtures in the bathroom aren't made of gold. But I digress. So where is our tuition money going?

Does it go to pay for the elaborate luncheons that the dean has with the board of governors?

Does it go to pay for all of the student research assistants they hire during the summer? (Although that the rate they pay student workers around here, they could practically hire every single student for the summer and it wouldn't even come close to $123k.)

Does it go to pay for all of the paintings hanging around the school of the largest benefactors?

Does it go to admissions so they can create even more elaborate viewbooks each year?

Any ideas?

3 comments:

Lance Ito said...

First off all what the hell are you doing up at 6:44 in the AM?? Didn't you get the recent "Finanical Statement" of our glorious univerisity? They talked about the "endowments" and how "large" they are (giggle, giggle, yes I'm 12). Besides somebody needs to pay for all those beautiful plants outside the school.

josh said...

i'm pretty sure a lot of the money goes to summer research grants, so that law schools (yours and otherwise) can find the most arrogant, annoying, and largely unfunny group of students out there. you will soon know them as 1Ls, though you may already know some as 2Ls and/or 3Ls.

John Roberts said...

My bet is on hookers and blow in the Dean's Suite