With most colleges and universities cautiously opening this fall with either online or in person classes – or a combination of both – parents and students are questioning whether they are getting a fair value for the money they are spending for a college education. How are schools handling these questions? Here are statements from two schools that have approached the subject in different ways.

USC

The University of Southern California, with a net price tag of $32,892, defends its decision to hold the line on tuition, while announcing a Living-At-Home grant to some students. Here’s how the school presented their argument on their web site.

“We know that many students have questions about the tuition increase previously announced for the 2020-2021 academic year, now that most instruction will take place online. This increase, which matches the previous year’s lowest percentage increase in 50 years, remains necessary to fund the high-quality education, broad range of outstanding academic programs and important research activities that serve as the hallmarks of USC. We strongly believe that the value of a USC education and degree, whether in person or remote, continues to greatly exceed the price of tuition. Despite the very significant financial measures we announced on April 3 and June 8, the costs of running a world-class university like USC continue to rise each year. In the 2020-2021 academic year, we expect to incur significant new expenditures to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, as well as an increase in our investment in technology and new academic, extracurricular, professional, and cultural programs, initiatives and events to keep students engaged and thriving — intellectually, socially and emotionally. At the same time, we understand that many in our Trojan Family are facing difficult financial circumstances right now, and we remain committed to addressing the financial needs of our students and their families. We recently announced a Living-at-Home grant for qualifying undergrads receiving financial aid of $4,000 per semester this academic year for those who choose to study at home. Please reach out to our Financial Aid Office if you have questions about financial aid.”

UPENN

Faced with the same questions, the University of Pennsylvania attempted to offer some financial relief to its students through a plan that they explained this way:

“Despite the escalating costs of providing a safe and meaningful educational program, we recognize and appreciate the financial challenges incurred by many students in our community as a result of the pandemic. As a result, we have determined to make tuition and fee adjustments for the fall semester. Tuition for the fall semester will be rolled back by 3.9%, thus freezing tuition at last year’s rate, and the General Fee will be reduced for the fall semester by 10%. Housing and dining fees that have been paid by students will be credited or refunded in full, consistent with the methodology used in the Spring. Student financial aid budgets for tuition and general fees will remain at current levels, despite the decrease in cost to students, and students remaining at home will still receive aid for food commensurate with our off-campus dining rate. The University has made significant increases in our financial aid budget to assist students and families in this difficult time and we will continue to make emergency assistance available to support all students who need it.” •