Chapman education, at what cost?

Breaking down where Chapman tuition goes

Chapman University’s tuition for the 2016-2017 academic year is $48,310. Tuition can be paid in full each semester or through a monthly payment plan. About 83 percent of Chapman students are given some type of financial aid.

According to the College Board, the average tuition cost for private four-year universities is $32,405 for the 2015-2016 year. This puts Chapman well above the average.

For the 2015-2016 year, Chapman University gained $350,023,402 from tuition and fees, according to Chapman’s 3 year statement of activities released by Harold Hewitt, Chapman’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. A sum of $114,094,292 was granted as scholarships, making Chapman’s net revenue gain from tuition and fees to be $235,929,110.

Graphics by Jackie Cohen

How are students at Chapman paying for college?

Zacharias Estrada has three binders filled to the brim with finances, a separate bank account to fund transportation costs and emergency redundancy funds set up. Sophomore theatre performance and political science major Estrada’s main focus may be performing on a stage, but he spends most of his time acting like an accountant.

Estrada is in a hole despite all his budgeting.

“I’m about $35,000 in debt and I’m 19 years old,” Estrada said.

Estrada estimated that number will rise to $145,000 by the time he graduates.

The gifts that Chapman received are included in the fund allocated to scholarships. Chapman received more funding in 2012 than all other years, leading to an increase in scholarship and grants to students. Graphic by Jackie Cohen

The national average student debt is $37,172, according to student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz in U.S. News & Report. The average student debt at Chapman sits at $21,000 and about 65 percent of Chapman students take out federal student loans, according to College Scorecard.

The numbers daunt Estrada, who pays his own tuition, but he is not expecting Chapman to bail him out.

“Having been in (student government) and looking at Chapman’s numbers, I understand it’s hard,” Estrada said.

Estrada was not the only student withholding complaints.

Alex Joyce, a freshman film production major, said Chapman awarded merit-based scholarships to almost everyone she knows. Chapman granted scholarships and grants to 79 percent of students in 2014-2015, according to the university’s Finances and Financial Aid DataMart. The university gave $112,053,280 in grants and scholarships during 2014-2015.

Joyce said her academic scholarship covers $20,000 a year, while Estrada receives $15,000 a semester for his high school GPA. A talent scholarship and grant also continue to supply money to Estrada. The average student at Chapman received about $23,000 in grants and scholarships in 2014-2015.

Chapman’s 2015 Consolidated Financial Statements reported that the school received $61.7 million in total gifts in 2012, more than double what the university gathered all other years between 2010 and 2015. The sudden relief showed itself in Chapman’s tuition discount rate, which rose from 25.8 percent in 2011 to 26.9 percent in 2012, and remained at above 27 percent for the next two years. The percentage dropped for the first time in five years in 2015.

But students are not just relying on Chapman to foot their bills.

Estrada works in the Special Collections and Archives Library at the Leatherby Libraries. He said he is relieved he does not have to commute outside of Orange for his job like last semester.

“Last year I had a private job over in Newport Beach and that almost killed me,” Estrada said. “I was still being paid a dollar over minimum wage but that did nothing for me.”

Joyce is not satisfied with how work study is run.

“It would be more helpful if work study were funded directly toward paying your tuition rather than you get a check,” Joyce said. “Because then you’re more motivated to have it actually go toward what it’s supposed to go to technically.”

Joyce was eligible for work study at Chapman, but secured a job at Disneyland’s attractions after she found out how work study pays students.

Sam Oliver, a junior strategic and corporate communication major, also works at an outside job to complement his scholarship.

At Chapman, 79 percent of students have scholarships and grants while 65 percent use federal student loans. Graphic by Jackie Cohen

“I personally work, and then whatever I can’t contribute my dad helps me with the rest,” Oliver said. “I’m fortunate enough not to (feel stressed).”

Alex Bersani, a freshman undeclared student, is not fretting over finances either. She is paying Chapman’s full price with no loans, just like Oliver. Bersani said her parents are helping her out.

“Money’s really sensitive to talk about, not in like the way where we need to be really cautious or upset about the amount we’re paying,” Bersani said, alluding to the awkwardness that would ensue if she addressed her parents on how much they pay.

Bersani said the same silence over tuition presumes over her friends.

“One of the first classes I took my first semester of freshman year, the professor said…‘Your parents are paying a lot of money for you to be here,’” Estrada said. “And that just hit me like a train at full speed because no, I’m paying for all my education.”

But Estrada is not resentful. He said his financial shortcomings have forced his feet to keep moving to the next opportunity, because stagnancy would be a waste of loans. He can also put his feet in others’ shoes better now.

“As an actor, what I do is I look at people’s circumstances and I try as hard as I can to empathize with people,” Estrada said.