By: Leyah Jackson
What does it cost to be a Hampton student? The tuition bill says $49,822. Students say the real number is higher.
At Hampton University, students often face additional costs when printing assignments, doing laundry, and joining student organizations.
“My parents do help out sometimes, but I don’t get an allowance, and I don’t get money often,” said second-year psychology major and student hairstylist Jadea Pittman.
Tuition at Hampton University is $14,154.00 a semester, with additional fees covering housing, dining, as well as other comprehensive fees amounting to $9,596.
Dues for student clubs and organizations can range anywhere from $10 to over $300 to cover organization events and paraphernalia
“There’s not one organization that I’m a part of that I haven’t had to pay dues…You do have to pay to be active on campus, and some classes require you to print out an assignment, so you have to pay to do your assignment. Everywhere you have to pay,” Pittman continued.
Many students find methods of easing the financial burden through part-time jobs, student businesses, and Resident Assistant roles.
“Being an RA hasn't eased the financial concerns that I have… as a resident assistant we get the full cost of housing covered, right [and] in the grand scheme of things with the entire cost…getting around a $7000 scholarship is not nearly enough compensation in my eyes when I look at other universities,” said third-year Resident Assistant McKenzie Fitzgerald
Laundry at Hampton University is $1.50 to wash and an additional fee to dry. The Sudkick app requires that students load a $10 minimum onto the app.
Printing in the WEPA Print app costs $0.08 per page
“When it comes to laundry and printing, I know for me and a lot of other students I easily spend a minimum of $200 a semester just on laundry and printing alone,” McKenzie continued.
Students have to travel off-campus to Peninsula Town Center for necessities such as groceries. Although the University provides a “Pirate Shuttle”, the transportation service has begun requiring students to pay a two-dollar fee each time they board the shuttle.
“I really don't believe that you should have to pay $49,000 in tuition and then have to pay four dollars for a ride on the shuttle to go get some groceries, especially if you're an individual who's already struggling working multiple jobs doing whatever you need to do to put yourself throughout Hampton. I just think it's unfair,” said McKenzie Fitzgerald.
“The real cost of being a student at HU, I feel like, is substantially more than what you imagine.” Fitzgerald
“The real cost of being a student at HU — there are a lot of things that you have to pay for/financially responsible for—I wish someone would’ve told me that we’d have to pay for things like printing and laundry. I do think little things like that add up, because if you’re a college student without a source of income, those little five dollars here and there does add up, and that could be a meal. Sometimes paying for printing or doing laundry, it could be a choice between doing that or having a meal.” Pittman said
