The average price of tuition and fees at private four-year colleges rose about 6 percent from the 2003-'04 to the 2004-'05 school year, according to a report based on the College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges.
Tuition increased by $1,132, or from $18,950 in 2003-'04 to $20,082 in 2004-'05, according to the Trends in College Pricing 2004 report.
The findings are based on a survey of 2,800 post-secondary institutions across the country, which collected data on enrollment, admissions, degrees and majors, tuition, financial aid and other aspects of undergraduate education, according to the College Board's report.
Marquette's full-time undergraduate tuition cost mirrors figures reported by the College Board.
According to the Office of the Bursar, the 2003-'04 undergraduate tuition cost was $20,350 and this school year's undergraduate cost is $21,550, resulting in about a 5.9 percent cost increase.
Brigid O'Brien, director of university communication, said Marquette's cost is comparable to other Jesuit universities.
O'Brien cited inflation and the cost of business services and ongoing technological improvements as a few reasons for tuition increases.
Dawn Scott, director of financial aid at Carroll College, said the Waukesha school has experienced an increase in tuition by 4.5 percent. In 2003-'04, the undergraduate cost was $17,020, and it is now $17,800.
"We try to keep our tuition increases between 3 percent and 5 percent every year," Scott said.
She said factors such as the cost it takes to run the college are the biggest reason for the increased cost of tuition.
To keep costs as low as possible for Carroll College students, Scott said, there are options students can take advantage of.
"Students can opt to live in a triple room in the dorms for a reduced cost, and we offer affordable off-campus housing," Scott said. "We use loans as a last resort."
The College Board's report also found that for the 2004-'05 academic year, the average tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities is $5,132, up from $4,645 in 2003-'04 — an increase of about 10.5 percent.
Ruth Williams, associate vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, said its Wisconsin resident undergraduate tuition costs and fees are up 14.3 percent from 2003-'04.
In 2003-'04, tuition per semester was $2,554, and it is now $2,918 per semester, according to Williams.
Williams said the major reason for the increase in cost is the budget for the whole University of Wisconsin System.
The budget "boosted undergraduate resident tuition at UW-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin–Madison by 17 percent each year — 2003-'04 and 2004-'05," Williams said.
She said UW-Milwaukee does not set its tuition costs. The cost is set by both the UW System and the Board of Regents, so what measures the university can take to prevent price increases are limited, Williams said.
"We do advocate as strongly as possible for state tax and dollar support for the UW System and for UW-Milwaukee, which offsets the reliance on tuition," Williams said.