The price of higher education is not a secret. Neither are the strenuous efforts that New School students make in order to keep up with the price of tuition. While the university prides itself on its willingness to assist students through financial aid, that willingness rarely extends to the additional amounts students must pay for housing, food, transportation and school supplies. We’re not talking notebooks and paper, we’re talking markers that are ten dollars apiece, $1,000 cameras, music equipment and $50 course packets that you may or may not use. According to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study done by the National Center for Educational Statistics during the 2011-2012 school year, the average income for a college student is $11,443 per year. While that number may not be high for those used to private college tuitions, students might have a better chance of surviving college debt-free if their financial aid covered housing and supplies. In order to offer a more realistic look at what being a New School student really costs, the Free Press interviewed students from each division about their financial situations. The signs shows each student’s tuition in combined with additional fees, as well as a quote articulating their specific situations.

Here is what the university estimates each student will spend at each division per term:

 

Niko Nelson, Eugene Lang College

“If tuition is going to be so high there should be some guidance on how to manage paying off loans, etc after you graduate. I mean I’m going to graduate school to avoid paying off my loans for a little longer.”

Christopher Gorski, New School for Public Engagement, Senior

“I break down my tuition to each class, and sometimes in those classes to each minute so that I can calculate some monetary value. That puts me in a very dark mental space. I’ve done some activism around student debt and it is frustrating that is becoming difficult to discern students from customers. Students are being treated more and more like customers and I would hope that academia would transcend that. Education is becoming more about class than merit. The student loan rate was at 3.4 percent when I enrolled here. I never expected that it would increase to 6.8 percent while I was here. We are a generation that is never going to be debt free.”

Rich Rodriguez, The New School for Jazz, 1st year Transfer, Singer

“I think that everyone who is here is here for a reason and knows what they are getting into in terms of the financial situation. Is it worth it, yes. Does that mean its not a problem, no. Its a huge issue.”

April O’Donell, The New School for Drama

“I think it is absolutely worth it. I’m learning what does and doesn’t inspire me as an actor and I can’t think of a better place to be in New York City. The work we create is meaningful and provocative. Other places would have been crazy cheap but I wouldn’t be happy anywhere else. I’m being challenged here and learning to take risks.”

Adriana Velinova, Music in Voice student, Mannes College

With reporting by: Linus Mumford