By LAUREN COMSTOC
Rising tuition rates for BYU is nothing new. In 1875, when Brigham Young established his new academy, prices began to rise and haven't stopped since.
The HBLL Special Collections doesn't have General Catalogues for BYA's earliest years. But, in the school year 1904-05, only one year after the school was named a university, students could expect tuition to be $15-$20 a semester. BYU offered three different higher level schools: Church Teachers College, Normal School and High School.
According to the 1901-02 General Catalogue, studying theology was free.
During the same year, room and board was expected to be $2.50-$3.50 per week. There was an additional $1 fee for library use.
By the school year 1919-20, tuition fees had gone up five dollars a semester to $20.
From the 1930's through the 40's, tuition was $70 for one full year if paid in full at the beginning of the autumn quarter. This paid for autumn, winter and spring quarters. Late registration fees were $2.
In the school year 1950-51, this price rose again to $75 for a full year. Then in 1960-61, prices rose to $90 for one semester.
In the 70s, the LDS vs. non-LDS prices came into effect. Tuition for LDS students was $250 per semester, while non-LDS students paid $375. Also, the late registration fee was $5 until after the fifth day. The late fee then rose to $10.
BYU's tuition office only keeps records of tuition prices from 1984 through the present, said Jennifer Christensen, supervisor for the tuition office. 'All the records have been destroyed,' she said.
'Tuition normally goes up 5-6 percent a year,' Christensen said.
In 1984, an LDS undergraduate paid $700 per semester. Each hour was $71. Records for tuition for the law and management school started in 1987. An LDS student could expect to pay $1,525 per semester for law or management school, while a non-LDS could expect to pay $2280 per semester. LDS undergraduates paid $810 per semester.
In 1994, BYU began lowering the spring/summer tuition fees from $550 to $400 for full-time students. BYU had previously charged half of that year's fall/winter tuition for spring/summer.
Ten years later, students can now expect next year's tuition prices to be higher once more. LDS undergraduates will be expected to pay $1,265 per semester, $40 more than this year. Meanwhile, non-LDS students who wish to attend the law or management schools have to dish out $3,570 per semester.