The increase and the new fee were announced to students and their families in a letter sent by President Tom Gerety dated Feb. 13. "In setting the comprehensive fee, the Trustees continue their commitment to maintaining Amherst as one of the best colleges in the country. We work hard to balance fiscal discipline and intellectual ambition," Gerety wrote in the letter.
The letter also explained that the College's operating budget requires $58,500 for each student annually. The College makes up the difference with income from the endowment and from annual donations from alumni, parents and friends, so all students, including those without official financial aid, benefit from some form of subsidy.
The fee, which was raised by 4.5 percent last year, includes tuition as well as room and board. It does not include the student activities fee, books, personal expenses or travel, which usually total an additional $2,000.
Approximately 50 percent of College students receive some form of need-based scholarship or grant aid. The College spent almost eight million dollars on financial aid, offering the average recipient over $21,000.
"Amherst has a very good financial aid program. Students generally come out with relatively few loans," said Joanna Zant '02, a co-chair of the student group Financial Aid and Class Equality. "However, despite the fact that it's a good program, this is still a private school and a lot of people would never even consider it because of the sheer size of the tuition. It's pretty intimidating."
Zant also pointed out that it is often those students who do not receive financial aid who are most affected by fee increases. "Those people who don't quite qualify, I think they feel it the most," she said.
According to Director of Financial Aid Joe Paul Case, the increase in tuition is a yearly process that many have come to expect. "Families aren't too concerned. We usually get a handful of calls," he said.
Case added that when concerned families call he generally reminds them that anyone, including upperclass students who do not currently receive aid, can apply for financial aid and goes over the application procedures with them.
"Sometimes they tell us their financial situation and we try to tell them, in general terms, if it's worth applying," Case said. "If they are beyond the profile [of an eligible financial aid recipient], we try to tell them about other financial resources, like loans."
The College adheres to a need-blind admission policy that does not take students' financial situations into account when determining their eligibility for admission. While the College does not present merit scholarships, it ensures that any student admitted to the College will receive financial aid equal to the amount the financial aid office has determined the student needs.
Comparable colleges have similar tuitions, and they also generally increase by a few percentage points each year. However, the College is one of the first to announce it's comprehensive fee for the upcoming year.
"We're a bit earlier than usual," said Case. "Other schools will probably start to release their figures soon."