Special Campus Memo: Comprehensive Fee Increase for 2019–20

Dear Grinnell Students:

The Grinnell College Board of Trustees recently approved a 3.75 percent increase in the comprehensive fee to $67,646 for academic year 2019–20.

In making its decision, the Board recognized the importance of preserving the very high quality of a Grinnell education, ensuring support for students and faculty, and continuing to strengthen academics. In recent years, this focused approach has included enhanced opportunities for international learning and research; developing the Center for Careers, Life, and Service to work with students to design a life that encompasses their personal, professional, and civic ambitions; and continuing to recruit and retain an outstanding faculty.

Going forward, our financial resources will help us maintain and enhance the Grinnell student experience, as we work to:

• Create an innovative and evolving student-centered liberal arts curriculum that enables students to be successful in an ever-changing world and informs and enriches the lives of Grinnell graduates.
• Attract, enrich, and graduate a diverse and talented student community.
• Provide additional opportunities for students to make connections between course experiences and other learning experiences (internships, externships, apprenticeships, fellowships, service opportunities, travel, performances, etc.).
• Configure facilities with the right technology and access to necessary data and primary source material to support emerging forms of inquiry-based learning.
• Create a curriculum and learning environment that enables and encourages students to pursue and succeed along multiple life paths and careers.
• Design, operate, and support all spaces on the campus to enhance the academic, social, and environmental success of the Grinnell College community.

We are committed to maintaining the overall excellence of the educational experience at Grinnell and are limiting increases to those that are necessary. It is also important to note that through the careful stewardship of our resources, including our endowment, and the generosity of our donors, we are able to keep our comprehensive fee significantly lower than our actual operating costs. No student pays the actual, full cost of his or her education.

The following table shows how the 3.75 percent increase affects various elements of the comprehensive fee. 

*As recommended by the SGA/SPARC treasurers

We remain committed to our core mission: to provide a diverse, accessible, and outstanding education for our current and future students.

Sincerely, 

Raynard S. Kington

President