Jakcami22 Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Hey everyone, so our class is in a dilemma, and I was wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar. At the beginning of our program the faculty had us sign a paper saying that if tuition increases, then we will still pay the new rate as a prerequisite to admission. We all signed thinking it would probably go up anywhere from 5-20%, but they instead are planning to pass a proposal to double our clinical year tuition in the middle of this pandemic. Many of us are in a financially precarious situation because of the pandemic and were thinking of writing a letter to the bodies that govern the proposal(4) to plead our case. All we need is one sympathetic ear so that the tuition increase is delayed. Obviously we do not want any backlash from faculty, or hurt feelings, but this seems like an unreasonable tuition hike, especially in the middle of a pandemic. Any thoughts or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyJ Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Well that's a bunch of BS. What is the justification for doubling clinical year? Are they now paying preceptors or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakcami22 Posted September 15, 2020 Author Share Posted September 15, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, DizzyJ said: Well that's a bunch of BS. What is the justification for doubling clinical year? Are they now paying preceptors or what? No, they just said that the tuition was too cheap for a PA program, and that they have been planning to increase it for a while. Also, they do not even pay for our graduation or white coat ceremony, they expect us to fund it, and they want us to pay for their attendance as well. Edited September 15, 2020 by Jakcami22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Holy h*ll...they sound money hungry AF. They're pretty much robbing every student the privilege of obtaining their white coats before clinical/graduation ceremony. I have nothing to offer but sympathy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Sounds like a school on the brink of financial collapse. If you want to go the "nuclear option" you could contact the ARC-PA. I don't think they would like to see students treated like this. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyJ Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 (edited) OH WOW! They just randomly figured out they can squeeze more out of you so why not. I don't understand being required to ever pay anything to graduate from a professional program. You spend 10's of thousands and they can't cover a white coat ceremony or give you the actual paper degree without charging a degree conferral fee. Edited September 16, 2020 by DizzyJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 20, 2020 Administrator Share Posted September 20, 2020 On 9/15/2020 at 7:22 AM, DizzyJ said: Are they now paying preceptors or what? Quite possibly, even if they won't admit it. Still, doubling the tuition for clinical year is insane, even by higher education inflation standards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakcami22 Posted September 20, 2020 Author Share Posted September 20, 2020 23 hours ago, rev ronin said: Quite possibly, even if they won't admit it. Still, doubling the tuition for clinical year is insane, even by higher education inflation standards. They assured us that they are not paying the preceptors or sites, but maybe you're right and they are not being forthcoming. I just do not see the motive to lie. Yea it's a huge increase, especially in the midst of a pandemic, but we don't really have a choice now-we just have to cough up the coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 You always have a choice. This sounds like a bait and switch. Students can reasonably expect tuition to go up every year, maybe 5% in a bad year. Starting you down a degree path and then suddenly changing the terms to this extent is unethical. They are financially holding you hostage. This is like agreeing with a contractor on a price to redo your kitchen. They tear your kitchen out and then tell you they are doubling the price to complete the job. If you let them get away with this with no push-back, you are sending the message that they can do whatever they want to you. At the least, I would speak with ARC-PA on the phone. They will probably tell you that they only accept signed, written complaints, but you might get a sense of whether this is something they are interested in. There might also be a state agency designed to protect you, a department of ed or something like that. This is really $hi**y. PA school is a big financial commitment, and people usually plan ahead carefully for it. Unanticipated actions like this pull the rug out and put people in a really bad spot. (Down the road they will be puzzled why you don't want to be an alumni donor.) There is no shame in paying for preceptors. Everyone will wind up doing it sooner of later. It's just the reality that medicine is a scummy business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thinking further, another lesser option is to simply mention to school admin that you are thinking of contacting the ARC-PA regarding the increase. Hearing this should cause a lot of butts to pucker. It's best if you have a student society to have their leadership present this so it comes as a unified front. ARC-PA takes student costs very seriously. Programs are required to have estimated costs transparent on their website for all to see. Don't give up on this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted September 21, 2020 Moderator Share Posted September 21, 2020 2 hours ago, CJAdmission said: Thinking further, another lesser option is to simply mention to school admin that you are thinking of contacting the ARC-PA regarding the increase. Hearing this should cause a lot of butts to pucker. It's best if you have a student society to have their leadership present this so it comes as a unified front. ARC-PA takes student costs very seriously. Programs are required to have estimated costs transparent on their website for all to see. Don't give up on this. I think bringing it to their attention just paints a target on your back and gives them time to cook the books to justify it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatMan Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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