Jon Moffett
jrm001@marietta.edu

When the time comes for the process of college selection, there are a lot of variables that have to be taken into account by families and prospective students. One of the biggest things that most families look into when choosing an institute of higher learning is its cost. This comes as no surprise, as money is constantly the cog that drives the economic machine in almost every aspect of life.

For students of Marietta College, this is no different. The financial aspect of college is often less talked about than the academic one, but can easily be more stressful. For students who are enrolled at MC for the 2006-2007 academic school year, the final cost is $30,845 before scholarships and financial aid are put into the equation.

This large number is broken down into several smaller categories, which includes a tuition fee of $23,300, a student fee of $525, a health care fee of $90, approximately $3,900 for room (the cost of an average double, according to the Marietta website), and $3,130 for board. Most students are fully aware of how much money they spend to go to school, but for many, where that money goes exactly is a little hazy.

Daniel Bryant, Vice President of Administration and Finance at Marietta College, was kind enough to sit down with the Marcolian and help solve the mystery of where students’ money goes.

To most students, Marietta College is just an institution for higher education. But what they fail to realize is that it is also a business. “People don’t think of it, but we’re a large corporation. The college is worth about $150 million,” explains Bryant.

As shocking as that may seem to most students, it is the truth. Bryant demonstrated how the financial scheme is broken down when it comes to where student money goes, and how it is used.

Marietta College has a base number of $45.6 million for the 2006-2007 academic year. Approximately 32.9 million comes from students’ tuition fees, and an additional $7.6 million from their room and board fees. The remaining $5.1 million is made up by donations and gifts as well as from Marietta’s endowment fund.

As astonishing as these numbers appear, there is a logical progression that the school follows to ensure the each and every dollar that they receive is used in the best way possible to aid in the learning process. According to figures that Bryant presented, 74 percent of the money, or 74 cents out of every dollar, goes either directly to students, or to different organizations and facilities to help maintain a successful learning atmosphere. “The first thing that is considered is financial aid,” noted Bryant.

In the diagram of this year’s break-down, roughly $14 million went directly to students in the form of financial aid. This is money that is distributed to the students almost immediately after it is received. It is untouched by the school or by the federal government, who also contribute to students via financial aid.

“This is money that the school doesn’t even touch. As soon as we get it, we give it right back to the students. It’s as if you gave the school $30,000 and then we gave you $1,400 right back,” said Bryant. The second largest chunk of funding, approximately $10.6 million, goes to instruction.

This category in itself encompasses everything from faculty salaries to supplies for the classrooms. The next portion is auxiliary expenses, which approaches around $3.9 million. This money goes toward things like residence halls and the Chartwell’s Dining Services.

The next category for funding is student services, which gets about $3.5 million. This is the broadest category of funding, as far as student organizations are concerned. This money is divvied up between many different categories like athletics, student senate, The Marcolian , and The Mariettana , among others. The final grouping is Academic Support, which received about $1.9 million for services like the ARC, the library, and the career center.

The remaining 26 percent of the total money is divided up as well. This money goes towards things like the Physical Plant, Institutional support, and various other services. Although this seems like an incredible amount of money, many students still feel that they pay too much to attend Marietta.

That may be true, but Bryant puts it all in perspective. “It actually costs the school $35,000 per student per year to educate everyone. You’re technically getting a $4,000 ‘discount,’ and the school is working its hardest to decrease the amount that needs to be paid by students and their families.”

Mailing address: Marietta College Box A-20, Marietta, Ohio 45750-4000
Physical address: McKinney Media Center, 508 Putnam St, Marietta, Ohio
Phone: (740) 376-4555
E-mail: marc@marietta.edu