Students pay price for lower enrollment - Stacey Howe, Western Illinois University Courier

As the economy grows worse and enrollment declines, Western Illinois University is forced to raise fees for incoming students. The school has seen a recent decline in freshmen enrollment, and therefore is losing money. When the expected student enrollment falls incoming freshmen pick up for the loss with increased tuition. "The student prices change because we are not enrolling as many students as we used to," said Associate Vice President of Student Services Al Harris. "Once you enroll as a student here, the tuition you pay is set in stone and will not change. When you pay for housing and dining, half of that money goes to pay for employees and other necessities around the university."