While it may appear that housing and dining price rates were raised for the Spring Semester, Ohio University explains that the price only appears this way due to the lowered rates from the Fall Semester.
Jim Sabin, a university spokesperson, said that Fall Semester rates were prorated due to facilities being open less than originally scheduled.
According to a previous Post report, 100% of graduate students and 31% of undergraduate students were included in Phase 2 to return to campus for the Fall Semester. Phase 1 students were on campus for about 13 weeks, while Phase 2 students were on campus for about seven to eight weeks.
“Students in Phase 2, for example, didn’t return to campus until Sept. 28, and thus were not charged for the first 7-8 weeks of the semester for dining/residence hall fees,” Sabin said in an email. “Additionally, the residence halls closed at Thanksgiving, about two weeks earlier than originally planned, and students were not charged for those weeks.”
The original cost of housing and dining was discussed by OU’s Board of Trustees in spring 2020. While there may be fluctuations in these prices for each student due to factors like room size and meal plan, the prices remain similar. For each student, the cost of a meal plan was $2,277 per semester, and the cost of housing was $3,654 per semester. These costs were the same as housing and dining rates from the 2019-2020 school year.
Current Ohio University cost of attendance. (Provided by ohio.edu)
Sabin said students in Phase 2 last semester paid $1,142 for housing and $711.55 for dining. This semester, students are paying about $3,654 for housing and $2,277 for dining.
Since the students were invited to campus for the full semester and have access to dining facilities, the cost of housing and dining is no longer prorated. Still, there have been recent debates on whether the experience is worth the cost with students having issues on campus such as long lines at dining halls.
