Undergraduate tuition at St. John’s University increased by roughly five percent in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to the University’s website. The Fall/Spring block tuition (12-18 credits per semester) for traditional and distance learning students is now $48,500 ($24,250 per semester), a rise from last year’s $46,230 ($23,115 per semester). 

For third and fourth year students in the Peter J. Tobin College of Business, yearly tuition increased to $50,574 ($25,287 per semester). The fee stood at $48,208 last year ($24,104 per semester). The new tuition rates are effective from Summer 2023 through Spring 2024.

“My education is one of the most important things to me,” said junior psychology student Angelica Rivera, viewing the tuition increase as a “burden” for students, as seeking additional student loans may be necessary.

“St. John’s University remains committed to the success of each student and recognizes that the cost of attendance is a significant investment for our students and their loved ones and is often an important factor in choosing where to enroll,” said University Spokesperson Brian Browne in a statement to The Torch.

Yearly tuition for Pharm.D. students between years three and six increased to $55,528 ($27,764 per semester) from last year’s $52,934 ($26,467 per semester). Aymon Choudhury, third-year Pharm.D. student, was “confused and concerned” when first viewing her term bill. 

“I thought something went wrong on my end, but other people also experienced such a big increase,” Choudhury said, noting that she’s now required to seek financial assistance from her parents and the financial aid office.

E-bills for the Fall 2023 semester were available as of June 20 and can be viewed and paid by logging into students’ UIS accounts and accessing the Account Payment Suite. Tuition payments can be paid either in full or on a payment plan.

“In 2021-2022, 99% of our undergraduate students received financial aid,” Browne said. “We are proud to share that in that same year, $494 million in financial aid was distributed among all St. John’s students, including $296.6 million of university funding.”

Summer and winter sessions are billed at a per-credit rate, which currently stands at $1,617 for traditional and online learning students, $1,686 for juniors and seniors in the Peter J. Tobin College of Business and $1,851 for Pharm.D. students between years three and six. The 2022-2023 per-credit tuition for each was $1,541, $1,607 and $1,764, respectively.

“This summer, I wanted to enroll in a course, but once I saw that the tuition would be just shy of $5,000, I felt it wasn’t worth it,” Rivera said. “If the class were more affordable, I may have been more inclined to take it.”

Rivera hopes the increased tuition would be used towards renovating buildings on campus — like St. John Hall, which she believes appears “old and a lot of the classrooms need some extra work” — or campus events. 

“For the past few years, students have complained about the performers at Tip-Off, but the school has yet to make any changes,” Rivera said. In 2021, New York-native rapper Fivio Foreign performed at the University’s annual Tip-Off. Last year’s event saw a significantly shorter line at the ticket office as California-native rapper Blxst took the stage.

“Like other institutions, the University faces increasing costs in utilities to maintain and upgrade facilities and technology infrastructure and provide instructional and support services to students,” Browne said. “While tuition rate increases are necessary to help fund these increases in costs, the University’s commitment to student success remains its number one priority, and, to this end, the University prioritizes the operating budget to provide student financial aid awards and academic and student support services.”

Browne further noted that “the University has also invested in additional support for students in areas including Student Health Services, the Center for Counseling and Consultation, the Center for Student Success, Disability Services and Campus Activities, among others.”

Current and previous tuition information can be found on the St. John’s website.