Trustees Approve 2003-2004 Room And Board Rates

March 21, 2003
Hershey, Pa. – Penn State's Board of Trustees today (March 21) approved a modest increase to the University's room and board rates for the 2003-2004 academic year. The new rates are effective for the 2003 fall semester at all of Penn State's residential campuses.

The increase reflects a continuing commitment by Penn State to improve safety systems and the quality of life for students in campus residences. It also addresses the annual inflation of food and utilities costs and maintenance expenses, which are expected to increase as much as 6.5 percent in the coming year.

Room charges for an undergraduate student living in a standard double room – the most typical living arrangement at the University – will increase by $85 per semester, from $1,455 to $1,540. The cost for meal plan three – the most common plan of 12 to 13 meals per week – will increase by $55 per semester, from $1,375 to $1,430.

For the 2003-2004 year, these increases bring the average annual room and board cost to $5,940, an increase of 4.95 percent or $280 over the previous year – a large portion of which is needed for an ongoing $50 million sprinkler installation project in all Penn State residential units over the next seven years, new undergraduate and graduate housing, and upgrade and maintenance of existing residence complexes at Penn State locations statewide.

The increase is the smallest room and board cost hike at the University in three years. Penn State's housing and food services already rank among the most affordable in the Big Ten, and are $800 to $1,400 less expensive annually than comparable on-campus residences at other state-related institutions in the Commonwealth and region.

"Penn State prides itself on being a cost-efficient institution, and our housing and food service operations – which operate as a self-supporting function within the University without the benefit of appropriation or tuition subsidies – are certainly no exception," said Tom Gibson, associate vice president for auxiliary and business services. We continue to meet our goal of providing a high-quality living environment at an affordable price.

"Some cost increases year-to-year, however, are unavoidable, especially as we continue our ambitious fire safety enhancement plan through this decade," he added. "The University considers the safety of our students to be a paramount priority. We will continue devoting whatever resources are needed to ensure the safest possible living environment for those students."

Penn State, with the largest residence hall system in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the nation, currently operates 67 undergraduate residence halls with space for 16,091 students, and five apartment complexes accommodating 1,856 individuals. More than 4 million square feet of living space is provided by these facilities. Undergraduate residence halls are located at University Park, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Erie, Harrisburg, Hazleton, McKeesport, and Mont Alto, while graduate housing is available at University Park, Erie, Harrisburg, and Hershey. In addition, the Eastview Terrace residence complex being constructed at University Park will house approximately 800 additional students in seven clustered halls upon its completion in 2004.

Other housing rate changes specific to various campus living units include the following (all rates include utilities):

Room rates for Nittany Apartments at University Park will increase by $90 to $115 per person, for a range of $1,765 to $2,170 a semester, depending on the type of apartment selected.
Monthly rates for Graduate Circle Apartments will increase by $10 to $15 for a range of $540 to $645 a month per unit, depending on the number of bedrooms and unit selected. Rates for the White Course graduate housing will increase by $25 a month in all unit categories. One, two and three-bedroom family units will now cost $675, $775 and $875, respectively, while single graduate student housing will increase to $490 a month per person for a four-bedroom apartment.
At the College of Medicine in Hershey, room rates for University Manor East Apartments will increase by $25 to $40 per month for a range of $650 to $854 a month per unit, depending on the number of bedrooms and included furnishings. Furnished four-bedroom apartments in University Manor West will increase by $72 a month to a rate of $1,496.
At Penn State Erie, apartments will increase by $95 to a rate of $1,860 per person each semester for two-person garden units.
At Penn State Harrisburg, four-bedroom apartments will increase $115 to a rate of $2,215 per person per semester.

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Contacts:
Tysen Kendig, (814) 865-7517; tysen@psu.edu
Amy Neil (814) 865-7517; aen4@psu.edu