Team 6: Story 1: Rising Cost of College

Food and Tuition.

College is one of the most important aspects of our lives now, as most jobs that people look to take require at minimum a bachelor’s degree. So with the new importance of college degrees, most people are nearly forced to go to college.

This can be an issue for a lot of families that are not as financially set, or may struggle to make ends meet. College tuition has increased from 27-37 percent over the last ten years. In-state tuition is around $10,000 per year, not including housing, food, sports events, or any books. 

Keeping this more at home, Mississippi State University, or even the SEC at whole, is not safe from this increase in tuition price. In 2022, the year that current seniors at State enrolled, in-state tuition cost 9,300 dollars a semester, with out-of-state costing 26 thousand. Now in 2026, tuition for in-state students will cost $10,600 and out-of-state students are charged $28,600 per year. 

We will touch back on tuition later, right now the focus is one of the biggest issues facing college students and families as a whole in Mississippi, food. Outside of eating on campus, most college students also buy groceries to eat throughout their week in their apartment.

With inflation being as prominent as it is, most families can barely afford to eat, much less a college student who makes very little money, on top of paying for tuition.  According to an annual WalletHub report, grocery prices have increased 30% since 2019,  making Mississippi have one of the highest grocery prices in the country. Mississippi is also one of the only 4 states in the United States to tax their groceries. This 5% tax on groceries makes the burden of buying food even harder.

This burden is not avoided on college campuses either, as the dining plan and on campus dining options are also rising rapidly in price for students. In 2022, meal plans for students were measured by total block meals that you got per semester. You could get meals that ranged from 60,70,100,175,225, and unlimited meals per semester. With the most expensive, unlimited meals, costing $2,100 per semester. This has been changed over the years with meal plans now offering only a limited amount of meals per week. These range from 7,14, to 21 meals per week. The most expensive, 21, is $2,229 and is not unlimited as it used to be. This also includes a mandatory 300$ per semester put into a flex account. Which is up from the $150 in 2022 and the flex included in meal plans.

This rise in price, and drop in meals, has also been felt by RA’s who live on campus, and rely on on campus meals to keep them afloat. RA’s are offered their own plans, which are also rising in cost, leading to many RA’s going away from the meal plan route. 

Mississippi State RA Kennan Selman, said that many of his RA peers had left the meal plan option and instead elected to either purchase separate meals during the day, or just buy groceries and make their own. But this is complicated by the fact that a lot of dorms do not have their own kitchens. So, not only are costs going up, but there are not many great alternatives. 

Just to give an example, I asked my friend for his daily meals that he would eat. He said that he eats three meals on campus a day, plus around two snacks in Perry, which are about 5$ each. The average meal at Perry is about $12.50, so three of those a day would be around $37.50. Not to mention $10 a day for snacks and misc foods. All of that adds up quickly if you do not have a meal plan. 

As the meal plans rise, and amount of meals falls at the same time, students are looking for alternatives. This is not aided by grocery prices. To get more specific than what I touched on earlier, groceries have been a huge issue. According to SoFi, the average cost for a single resident in a Mississippi home for groceries is around $335, which coupled with the low average household income in the state, does not make for a good combination. 

One example is eggs, Mississippi’s egg costs are up 67% in the last few years. Also meat costs are up as ground beef is almost $7 and chicken is up to $9. These increases in costs for groceries make it difficult for students to make their own foods, making most rely on campus food and dining plans. 

Mississippi is facing a grocery cost crisis, and students and campus are not safe from it either. 

When Students across the Southeastern Conference began the school year 2022-2023, tuition prices look way different than it does today. Three years later, those numbers steadily increase, those prices determine where students choose to attend school.

In 2022-2023, in-state tuition at Mississippi State University was $9,398. Out-of- state students paid a little more than 25,000. There were some big price changes over the years. In 2025 the prices nearly increased 1500 for in-state and more than 4,000 for out-of-state students. Mississippi State wasn’t the only college increasing their numbers. All the colleges in conference increased their price of tuition. Even schools that have smaller annual increases than other colleges showed growth. Private Schools like Vanderbilt University, carry a significant high price for tuition. They still increased their numbers as well. They have the highest out of state tuition in the conference standing at 67,498. The same pattern appears across the SEC. The University of Florida now lists undergraduate students at $28,659 for out of state students while in state is around 6,381. The University of Georgia lists undergraduate tuition at $31,688 for out of state students and $11,450 for in state students. At the University of Alabama and Auburn, out of state tuition has risen above 34,000.

Looking beyond a 3 to 4 year comparison, tuition has increased tremendously over the past 20 years. Over the past 20 years, the SEC tuition has increased by 125%. On average it went from $15,607 to $35,118. The University of Mississippi had the lowest out of state tuition in the SEC in 2005. Their average out of state tuition was 9,744. In 2025, they have the largest tuition increase in the SEC. The University of Mississippi tuition in 2025 is 28,600 for out of state students and 9,772 for in state students. The steady increase overtime reflect inflation, institutional operating cost and reduced public funding in some states. It just shows how expensive it is to earn a degree. Housing costs, meal plans, textbooks, and even parking passes have increased. Mississippi State has it where when u owe so much money you can make a monthly payment, but if you fail to make a payment before the start of the semester, your schedule can be cancelled.

Our group’s larger story focuses on how raising prices affects students in their daily lives. My section just shows the main issue that goes on with college students. Grocery prices can change weekly but tuition becomes a responsibility that students have to deal with for years. This topic is also personal because financial situation have affected my own family. After graduation in May, I would be the 3rd Man on my momma side of the family to have a bachelor’s degree. Most of my family couldn’t go to college because they couldn’t get any loans or couldn’t pay for tuition.

Another part of the data that stood out is tuition doesn’t always match student’s outcome. Florida, Vanderbilt, and Georgia are the only college in the SEC has a 90% or more graduation rate. Mississippi State has a 67% graduation rate. These differences might be reflected by academic resources Acceptance rates also help explain how tuition fits into school choice. Mississippi State’s acceptance rate is 77.64, but Vanderbilt’s rate is 5.86%. Schools with lower acceptance rates seems to have the highest tuition rate, and are harder to get into.

The personal impact of tuition increases shows students’ daily decisions. Even small annual increases create much larger overall costs for students and families. That’s why finical aid is important to a lot of students. The only bad thing is about loans and stuff that helps pay for tuition. You must pay it all back sooner or later. Many students have to take out additional loans, working more hours or even depend on scholarships and financial aid. Out of state students face the most pressure because their tuition is high before housing are even included. That pressure from tuition increases often shows up in choices students make. Some students may choose to stay enrolled full time to get certain financial aid, while others cut down some of their courses because working long hours became necessary. The only thing about lightening up your school schedule can help your bank account, but it can take you longer to graduate and u gone be paying more money over time. In some households, paying for college could be easy to do. Some families are fortune to have enough to pay for everything. Some students have to depend on certain finical things to help them out with school. I know some students only go to certain schools because their parents work at the university. Tuition can affect your college experience as well. Some students spend a lot of time working, they miss out on campus events, internships or opportunities that can help them later. Some students spend much of their time trying to play catch up in class and have to go work in the afternoon. Across the SEC, tuition differences also continue shaping how students compare universities. Some schools may offer stronger academic recognition, but lower tuition often becomes the deciding factor of college choice. A student might get accepted at multiple schools, but they still might choose the one with the less tuition because they can pay it back faster. For multiple students, tuition becomes more than just another bill because it starts right after graduation. Students leave college already thinking about how to pay their students loans back. Students try to find jobs that can help them pay for their student loans and help pay they regular bills. Even though tuition numbers are steady going up, college students still view school as an investment into their future and create opportunities that their family never had. That is why tuition remains one of the most important topics around the college life. While food, gas and daily expenses continue to change, tuition still remains the one of the main things that affect people on a day to day basis.

Extra Costs.

When parents and upcoming students start thinking of college the first thing that comes to mind is tuition. The actual cost of tuition alone at Mississippi State University, however, is actually one of the lowest in the SouthEastern Conference. This narrative will explore the increasing financial burden that students face as a result of extra mandatory purchases like Dawg Dollars, parking tickets, and parking passes. This article will show a pattern in the increase of student fees and how they impact financial convenience by looking at how these costs increased over the past few years.

These costs may also influence how students participate in campus life. For example, some students may choose not to purchase the All-Sports Pass if the price feels too high, even though attending sporting events is a major part of the culture at Mississippi State University. Others may avoid bringing a car to campus because of parking permit costs or the difficulty of finding available spaces. In this way, rising additional expenses can shape not only students’ budgets but also their experiences and involvement on campus.

Understanding these financial pressures is important because they affect a large portion of the student body. As universities continue to expand services, athletics, and campus infrastructure, additional fees may continue to grow alongside tuition. By examining these trends, this story aims to provide a clearer picture of how these expenses impact students and how the total cost of attending college extends beyond the numbers listed in official tuition rates.

Dawg Dollars, is a $300 budget that is automatically put on your student card if you are enrolled into Mississippi State. It’s utilized for students to spend on the on-campus eating selections, on-campus P.O.D. markets, and cafeterias. Although freshmen and some sophomores who sign up for a meal plan already still have to pay for the $300 Dawg Dollars because it’s automatically put in tuition. If all Dawg Dollars aren’t used they do rollover to the next semester but they do not rollover for the next year so use them wisely.

However, Dawg Dollars are often included as part of student meal plans or accounts, meaning students may end up paying for them even if they do not fully use the funds. Some students may also be unaware of how the system works or what happens if they do not spend all of their Dawg Dollars before the end of the semester. This portion of the story will examine how the Dawg Dollars system is structured and whether students feel they receive full value from the money included in their accounts.

Another key focus of the story will be the student All-Sports Pass. Athletics play a major role in campus culture at Mississippi State, and attending sporting events is a popular activity for many students. The All-Sports Pass gives students access to a variety of athletic events throughout the year, including football, basketball, and baseball games. For many students, these events are an important part of the social experience of college.

The increase in the All-Sports Pass will be a significant part of why this financially hurts students as well. This project finds a noticeable increase in cost by examining pricing data from 2022 through 2025. Students shouldn’t have to pay more when the athletics isn’t making the money worth. Students are paying $250 for a 2-10 football team, a first round exit men's basketball team, and a women's basketball team that can’t win the NIT. The only sports worth watching are Women’s soccer which are free and Men’s baseball games that come with the sports pass or could be bought individually.

Parking permits represent another expense that many students must consider. Students who commute to campus or bring vehicles to school typically need to purchase a parking permit through the university’s transportation department. These permits allow students to park in designated areas across campus depending on the type of permit they purchase.

Over time the parking permits and ticketing have all increased. We examined how permit costs have gone up and how parking has gotten increasingly crowded using data from the university's transportation department. In addition to paying more for permits, students report more competition for parking spots, which intensifies their frustration. Confusion around what students are paying for and whether the price is sufficient with the accessibility offered may also result from the grouping of parking zones and reorganized permit types. This story will explain how parking has become more costly and regulated by looking at current permit systems and government laws.

When taken as a whole, these instances show a broader trend: although tuition may increase gradually, additional expenses mount up in ways that have a big impact on the overall educational experience. For students who wish to have complete access to campus services, several of these fees are mandatory. The purpose is to make it clear where student funds are going and how these increases have changed over time.

This story aims to provide a clearer understanding of how these additional costs contribute to the financial experience of students at Mississippi State University. By combining official university information with student perspectives, the piece will highlight how these expenses have evolved and how they affect students today.

Ultimately, the goal of this story is to provide a more transparent look at the true cost of attending Mississippi State University. While tuition remains the most visible expense, additional charges such as Dawg Dollars, sports passes, and parking permits can quietly increase the financial burden on students. By examining these costs together, the story will highlight how smaller fees contribute to the overall affordability of college and how they influence the student experience.

 

Email the team at csm504@msstate.edu with any questions

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