Purdue international students protest an increase in tuition

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Some Purdue international students are speaking up as they start to see their tuition costs go up.

International students who enrolled at Purdue for this academic year are paying extra for international tuition on top of out-of-state tuition. That amount is expected to double for new international students who will enroll for classes next year.

Undergraduate international students who enrolled in classes at the start of this year pay $1,000 for international tuition plus out-of-state tuition. Next year, that amount will double to $2,000 for new and transfer students.

Earlier this week, members of Purdue's Chinese Students and Scholars Association held a protest to demonstrate their disapproval of the increase in tuition.

"Usually, you need to, you have the plan, you make the budget, then you collect the money. It's not the reverse way. It's you collect money, then try to find some ways to spend the money. So this is why we are doing this kind of protest," said president of Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Yang Liu.

Liu said he wants to raise awareness and hopes to act as the voice for the international community.

Liu said international students deserve to know where the money from the increase in tuition goes.

Dean of International Programs at Purdue, Mike Brzezinski said even though that money goes into a general fund, the university still works hard to cater to international students.

"In particularly this year, with the surge of students, we've had like a 45% increase in the number of students from abroad in the last couple of years. We realize we have to put money into services so that we can provide the best experience for these students," said Brzezinski.

Brzezinski said the university makes sure international students looking to enroll at Purdue are fully aware of the expenses.

"They'll know the estimated costs for all costs at Purdue. Fees, housing, tuition and so we will certainly inform them and they will be able to make an educated decision to choose Purdue or other institutions," said Brzezinski.