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Starting Today Others Pay Hamilton's $63,500 tuition

By Jack Cartwright '15

The number 53,470 may sound familiar to all Hamilton students. It is the annual price, in dollars, of tuition, room and board, and fees to attend Hamilton College: an exuberant total that — to many minds — must be more than enough to cover the costs of the College’s operation. Perhaps the College could get along with less money, right? Wrong. It turns out that the actual yearly cost to educate a Hamilton College student is $63,500, and starting February 23, others begin to pick up the tab for everyone enrolled in the College.  

Jon Hysell ’72, executive director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, explained that for all the services that Hamilton College provides, it is necessarily expensive. According to Hysell, “The education at Hamilton is unique.  We offer a high-touch educational experience.” He went on to describe how when students look at the list price, they often don’t factor in everything that goes along with it. To explain just how unique Hamilton College is, he described how just 3 percent of high school students look to go to a private liberal arts college, let alone Hamilton. “We offer 21st-century facilities, a student faculty ratio of 9:1, 100 plus organizations and clubs, 28 intercollegiate sports, and it’s expensive.”  Nevertheless, Hysell says it cannot be matched anywhere else.   

Hamilton College’s history of alumni, parental, and friend giving underscores just how exceptional the Hamilton College experience is and has been for 200 years. Hysell said those who give “care deeply about Hamilton and liberal arts in the United States.  They want to share how Hamilton has affected their lives for the better and want to help others enjoy the same experience.”    In fact, Hamilton College is one of the few colleges in the United States that enjoys an approximately 50 percent participation in its annual giving by alumni, and this has been the case for 32 years in a row. In addition to that figure, compared to its fellow NESCAC schools, Hamilton has the smallest number of alumni, but on a per-alumni basis, Hamilton graduates are more generous. Hysell described the giving of alumni, family and friends as part of a 200-year history of giving.  He said, “Giving made the college possible.”  

Hannah Fine ’15 said, “We always complain about how expensive college is, so it was a surprise to hear that this large chunk of cost is covered by donations. The well-rounded education we receive here is so unique, and it makes perfect sense that alumni not only see that, but work to continue this for future classes.”   Anthony Jackson ’15 agreed.  He said, “I think it’s crucial that the students here understand that their tuition dollars do run out. Maybe they’ll think about that before they continue ‘Breaking sh*t.’”  Hysell said that the fact that many students do not know about the important role giving plays in the functioning of the College “is not a good thing.”   

That is why today, on Feb. 23, the Office of Communications and Development will sponsor an event to mark the symbolic end of what everyone’s $53,470 covers. The event will kick off with a presentation on the economics of running Hamilton College by Karen Leach, vice president of administration and finance, at noon in the Bradford Auditorium. The presentation will inform students about the crucial role giving plays in the funding of the College.    Following the presentation, students will have the opportunity to sign thank you cards to those who have given to the College in the Kirner-Johnson Commons. At 4 P.M., alumnus John Werner ’92, managing director & chief mobilization officer of the Citizen Schools Program, will speak about how his Hamilton experience affected him and why he continues to give to Hamilton every year.  

Hysell hopes the event will give students a better understanding of the finances of the school  and how important alumni giving is to the school’s continuity.    

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