Just when you thought college couldn't get more expensive

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Katie Everett | Communications Director, US Representatives

April 9, 2020, 9:56 am ET

Colleges and universities have been raising tuition at a constant rate for years but tuition increases for the 2020-2021 school year are particularly of concern to the students all over the country facing financial hardships amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

From California to Texas to Massachusetts, colleges across the country are increasing their undergraduate tuition and fees. Campus Reform spoke with Texas Christian University student Trystan Deck, one of the millions of students who will have to pay more for education this fall.

“Every year that I have gone to school at TCU they have raised the tuition, so it happens every year but obviously with COVID-19 it comes at a bad time since so many families are struggling right now,” Deck said.

Nearly 10 million Americans have lost their jobs due to the pandemic already and college students worry they won’t be able to afford to finish their education with rising tuition costs amid so much economic uncertainty. Combined with rising tuition, it’s unlikely that financial aid available to students in the form of scholarships or grants will increase proportionately.

“TCU won’t increase the scholarships to current students, so the current students take a hit and may not be able to afford the upcoming year especially since we attend a private school that is already expensive,” Deck added.

The college tuition raises come as schools across the country face mounting deficits as they have refunded millions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On top of lost revenues, some colleges, such as those in Missouri, are slated to lose even more as the state seeks to slash more than $70 million in funding to higher education.

Here is a list of some of the school standing by their tuition increase for the 2020-2021 school year despite rising economic concerns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic:

The University of Texas

System approved an across-the-board tuition hike of 2.6 percent for its eight academic campuses, amounting to a $290-a-year increase for in-state undergraduate students at its flagship university in 2020 and 2021.

Rice University

Rice announces undergraduate tuition for the 2020-21 school year will be $50,310, an increase of $1,980, or 4.1 percent, over the current year. The total cost, including $14,500 for room and board and $797 in mandatory fees, will increase 3.7 percent to $65,607.

The University of Virginia

will increase its tuition and mandatory fees by 3.6 percent, or between $510 and $880 annually for in-state students, and $1,710 to $2,094 for out-of-state students.

Harvard University

The undergraduate 2020-2021 estimated tuition & fees at Harvard University is $49,653. That’s a 4.02 percent increase from 2019-2020 undergraduate tuition costs of $47,730.

Yale University

The Yale College term bill, which includes tuition, room, and board, will increase by 3.9 percent, from $72,100 to $74,900. Tuition will be $57,700, and room and board for students who live on campus will be $17,200.

Stanford University

Stanford University announced that undergraduate tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year will be $55,473, a 4.9 percent increase from the year before.