CWRU's undergraduate and graduate tuition rates will rise from $22,500 to $24,100 for the 2003-2004 academic year-an increase of 7.1 percent-but are expected to remain at least 10 percent below tuition rates at peer universities.

Undergraduate tuition also increased 7.1 percent last year, going from $21,000 to $22,500.

Room and board rates will increase for next year, too, but remain well below most competitors. The costs for campus housing will rise 7.8-8.6 percent, depending on the kind of room and location on campus, while standard board plans will increase by 7 percent. The technology fee will remain $400.

Tuition rates in the University's professional schools are rising as well. The increases range from 3.9 percent at the School of Law to 10.3 percent at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Despite these increases, CWRU continues to rate as one of the best values in the country-ranked 21st among national research universities by U.S. News and World Report and No. 1 in Ohio. The U.S. News best value rankings relate a school's academic quality to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of financial aid.

The University's financial aid program also remains one of the nation's most comprehensive. For the 2002-2003 academic year, 90 percent of undergraduate students have received a total of $58.25 million in scholarships, grants, loans and employment assistance from various sources. The average award is $19,393. In addition to need-based aid, more than 1,500 undergraduates receive merit scholarships.

Campus housing—which will be transformed by the construction of new residence halls on the North Campus and are already equipped with the nation's fastest switched gigabit to desktop computing environment—last year cost from $3,870 for a double in Scholars House to $5,830 for a large single room with a bath. In 2003-2004, rates start at $4,200 and top off at $6,320 for those same two kinds of rooms, respectively.

Board plans varied from $2,500 to $2,700 this year and will be $2,676 to $2,890 for the coming academic year. Campus dining services will be enhanced with a new late-night diner on the North Campus and continued flexibility in meal plans.

In the professional schools, the law school charged $25,900 in 2002-2003 compared with $26,900, a 3.9 percent increase, for the coming year. Tuition for continuing law students who entered in the fall of 2002 will be $26,900 for the coming year, compared with $25,900 in 2002-2003. For continuing law students who entered prior to the fall of 2002, tuition will be $25,300, up from $24,300 last year.

Tuition at the Mandel School increases 10.3 percent from $21,840 last year to $24,100 in 2003-2004.

The School of Dentistry will raise tuition for current students 4.5 percent, from $30,735 to $32,120, and introduce a tiered tuition structure, like the School of Medicine, beginning with this fall's entering freshmen. In the tiered structure, tuition rates increase each year for entering students, but then remain fixed for the students' entire dental school careers. The rate for incoming freshman dental students in 2003-2004 will be $34,860.

The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Weatherhead School of Management will increase rates 7.1 and 7.5 percent, respectively. Nursing school tuition will go from $22,500 to $24,100, while the management school will cost $28,440 next year compared to $26,460 this year.

The School of Medicine, with its tiered structure, will increase tuition by 4.3 percent from $35,000 to $36,500. This rate will remain fixed for the entering students' entire four-year medical school careers.