Tuition Freedom Day: Thank a Donor
Tuition payments can be a burden to university students as well as their parents. It is important to note, however, that the tuition each student pays only covers 13 percent of the cost of a student education at Utah State University. The remaining 87 percent of the cost is covered by private donors, government funding and other grants and contracts.
Tuition Freedom Day is celebrated 13 percent of the way through the school year and is symbolic of the time when someone else starts paying for a student's education.
On Oct. 6-7, students will be writing thank you cards from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Taggart Student Center to USU alumni and friends who support the university via donations.
"We added the Thank-A-Thon to this year's Tuition Freedom Celebration to give the entire student body a chance to say thank you to the donors who give to improve their education," said Tonya Davis, USU an associate director for USU Advancement. "Our staff and the administration always make sure to thank donors for their gifts by, but they don't always get to hear from students directly."
Last year, private donors gave more than $30 million to support USU and to enhance every student's educational experience. Money given by private donors helps students by providing scholarship and tuition assistance. Just last year, more than $9 million in private donation money was awarded as scholarships and tuition assistance.
“Our donors give because they want to help, and they really care about our students,” Davis said.
"I think they really enjoy hearing from those students. Even though tuition seems expensive and can be a burden on students, our tuition here is really very low and would be much higher without the help of our donors and state and federal funding"
USU currently has more than $150 million in endowed funds. During a typical school year, these funds generate $1.5 million to provide tuition assistance for more than 1,000 students.
The money also goes toward building and improving learning facilities.
- In the last five years, more than $70 million has been given by private donors to improve the facilities in which USU students learn.
- Donors also provide opportunities for students to participate in competitions, conferences and research.
- USU has the lowest tuition among its peer institutions.