After a raise in tuition, students living on campus are paying almost $50,000 to call themselves a Bobcat. Tuition, fees, and room and board for incoming freshmen this year combine to $49,630: a 5.5 percent increase from last year’s cost.

“I can barely afford to go here,” sophomore Jamie Buckley said. “My mom’s retired and my dad’s an auto mechanic and financial aid barely helped with that at all. I had to borrow money from family members to go here.”

Vice President and Dean of Admissions Joan Isaac Mohr attributed the increase in tuition to construction projects and new staff.

“Quinnipiac recently completed construction of Eastview, a 178-bed residence hall on the York Hill campus,” Mohr said. “Current projects include the design of a school of medicine on the North Haven campus and the expansion of the Carl Hansen Student Center on the Mount Carmel campus. In addition, 45 new full-time faculty joined the university this fall.”

Campus residents weren’t the only ones to face increases, with commuters tuition increasing to about $36,000 with no room and board.

Despite the financial aid budget increasing by $10.5 million, with a one percent increase of students receiving some form of aid, students remain unsatisfied.

“My financial aid [package] covers less of the tuition than it did last year because of the increase,” sophomore Tyler Yanosy said. “I get one scholarship through the school and that price stayed the same. So I am bearing more of the cost than I was before.”

Not all students believe the growth to be unnecessary. With all the additions being made, some think the increase is warranted.

“Considering that they’re doing so much and they’re adding more to Quinnipiac, I think it’s reasonable because how else would they go about doing that?” junior Marilyn Serna said.

Students who decide to come to an ever-changing campus generally have to pay for the upgrades.

“They keep trying to make it better and better but it’s already good,” Buckley said. “Why do they try to strive to compete with elite schools? I think we’re impressive as it is.”

Ricky Funaro, a sophomore communications major, said his financial aid package increased this year, but was proportional to the increase in tuition.

“There is no reason for tuition to be that high,” Funaro said. “We’re in school; not brain surgeon school.”