QUESTION: Will Furman be mindful of how the recession is affecting the families who are sending their children to Furman? In these difficult times, wouldn't it be prudent and an act of goodwill to freeze tuition for a year? Tuition has gone up every year that my child has been there, but scholarships stay the same, so the cost has become more of a hardship than I imagined when she was a freshman. I am a South Carolina public school high school teacher, and I see fewer and fewer of my students even considering Furman because of the cost. Several of my students who started at Furman could only stay a year because of the tuition increases. I know you want a diverse student body - doesn't that include diversity of socioeconomic status?

ANSWER: Socioeconomic diversity is indeed important to us. In fact, Furman has a larger proportion of its students from low and middle income ranges than most of its peer institutions.This makes us particularly mindful of the impact of any increase in tuition on students and families, particularly in the midst of the current recession.When considering financial aid, we have processes in place to help us deal with any changes in a family's financial situation. The Furman Board of Trustees will vote this week to determine the amount of tuition for 2009-10 and they are determined to limit the increase to the minimum necessary to meet Furman's expenses.

QUESTION: Furman offers no minority scholarships. What is Furman doing to make the University more diverse?

ANSWER: Furman's strategic plan includes an explicit commitment to attracting a more diverse student population. We've succeeded in raising the proportion of non-white students in the freshman class to just under 15% for the class that entered in the Fall of 2008. We've done this through concerted recruitment effort and programs on campus to support the needs of students of color.

QUESTION: The further deterioration of every aspect of the economy demands belt tigthening by all. A close examination of expenses may be a more lucrative approach that a tuition increase. I understand some universities have slashed travel and training while others have eliminated telephones in dorms. I'm sure these options have been explored along with many others. In this troubling environment a tuition freeze for one year deserves consideration.

ANSWER:Thank you for your thoughtful observation concerning the deepening effects of the recession on higher ed. At Furman, we're taking a multidimensional approach - paying careful attention to all expenditures - salaries, benefits and discretionary spending, which includes travel, memberships, publications, etc. Freezing tuition doesn't seem like the right approach at this point because our fixed costs, such as those associated with our campus buildings and grounds, will increase despite our best efforts to minimize discretionary spending. A zero percent tuition increase for 2009-2010 would surely result in higher-than-planned increases in future years, which we would prefer to avoid. Nevertheless, our tuition increase for 2009-2010 will be the lowest in seven years and we will provide a much more robust financial aid budget to assist our families as they struggle with the effects of the recession.

QUESTION: As a Furman parent, I was shocked to receive David Shi's letter today announcing the huge increase in tuition and fees for next year.  How can the Board of Trustees justify such an unconscionable increase, when most families are struggling in such dire economic times?

ANSWER: Our top priority in forming a budget for next year was to maintain the quality of the Furman educational experience. Even with our 12 percent cut in operational budgets, a hiring freeze, and a line-by-line examination of non-academic costs, we were left with no option other than to increase tuition for next year. We are committed to working with families to help them bridge these economic difficulties and we’ve increased our financial aid budget for next year to do so. We understand that any increase in tuition is unwelcome at this point, but we also must be good stewards of the Furman educational experience - an obligation we have made to students and parents.  

QUESTION: I just received Dr. Shi's letter about cost of tuition and fees for 2010, which is a substantial increase in difficult economic times. My daughter was able to obtain a partial athletic scholarship to Furman in her freshman year. She has done quite well academically in 2009. What are the opportunities for sophomores for academic scholarhip aid who did not receive it in his or her freshman year? How does one go about applying for that academic scholarsip aid based on first-year academic performance? While I agree diversity of student may enrich the academic experience, nothing enriches the experience more than the intellect of a motivated student in the classroom. Retaining the best and brightest will be Furman's true measure of success in the future. 

ANSWER: While returning students are not eligibile for increased academic scholarships (or even initial scholarships not awarded in the freshman year), we do encourage all families to apply for need-based financial aid. This offers the best method of receiving financial assistance. We are sensitive and aware that people who have not applied for financial aid in the past may very well need to do so for 2009-10, and we are prepared to work with those families through the process.

The financial aid application (FAFSA) must be completed and you can find it online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The financial aid application for institutional grant funding is the CSS Profile, which may be completed online at www.furman.edu/finaid. If if there are special financial circumstances that you feel are not reflected on the financial aid forms, please feel free to download the 2009-2010 Special Financial Circumstances Form from the same financial aid website and submit it to our office. The Office of Financial Aid will begin reviewing returning students' financial aid information in mid-April.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at financial.aid@furman.edu or call 864-294-2204 during normal business hours. 

QUESTION: My child is going to attend Furman in the fall of 2009. He did recieve an academic scholarship. Does Furman honor the idea of increasing the amount of the scholarship to help offset the increase of tuition for the next year? Could it be an option to reward even a higher level of academic performance in this way?

ANSWER: Furman does not increase academic scholarships as tuition increases, with the exception of the very few scholarships that are indexed to full tuition (i.e. the Lay and the Duke). The only other aid that may increase in future years would be that aid which is based on demonstrated need (i.e. the Furman Grant).  

QUESTION: If my mom has recently lost her job this year, how does it factor into my financial aid package? How and when should I inform Furman of an updated household income based on an one person income family?

ANSWER: Any changes in your family's financial situation should, indeed, be reported to the Office of Financial Aid after your 2009-10 FAFSA has been completed. We suggest you use the "2009-10 Special Financial Circumstances Form" to document your mother's lost employment. This form may be downloaded at http://www.furman.edu/finaid.