Students at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design are frustrated by the high cost of software and other expenses they pay to attend college in addition to tuition.
Some of the costs students at the College of Design pay for themselves include Adobe, Rhinoceros, and other digital visual software and modeling materials.
Students say they don’t know where the money goes
College students regularly use these programs and materials for assignments, projects, portfolios, and resumes. They pay for this in addition to the $350 collegiate fee, course fees and tuition.
High material costs were not something fourth-year architecture student Ilana Levine expected when she enrolled in college.
“I didn’t anticipate that when I was budgeting,” Levine said.
Students don’t know exactly where the tuition money goes, Levine said. She said it seems strange to have to pay for outside materials and software in addition to tuition and fees.
“I definitely don’t know where it’s going to go,” Levine said. “I assume some of it will pay off, just like the workers in the wood shop and the people in the laser cutting lab.”
The College of Design has fabrication shops where students can pay to use technology such as the laser cutter for assignments and projects. Both Levine and third-year architecture student Jacob Dommer-Koch said they assume the tuition money will go to the manufacturing labs because they don’t know where the money would go otherwise.
“I don’t know if they’re actually saying it, but they’re implying it’s going to the manufacturing areas,” Dommer-Koch said. “On the other hand, they charge us per minute for using the laser cutter.”
Students can purchase modeling materials such as wood, metals, plastics, and foam from the fabrication stores for class projects that require physical materials.
People don’t waste modeling materials, Levine said, and making students pay for them in the fabrication studio can hinder creativity in their designs. She said that if the materials were free, she would be open to trying new things when creating her designs.
“I think because you have to pay for yourself, it puts a barrier to that exploration,” Levine said.
According to the university’s director of communications, Amelia Narigon, the money from the collegiate fee will go toward student services at the College of Design, such as advising and commencement.
Software prices are high and inconsistent according to students
The College of Design requires their students to use computers with specific programs that they can use for their major in certain cases.
Students must pay for expensive software separately from tuition and fees. Programs like Adobe are the professional standard in fields such as architecture, graphic design and interior design, making it difficult to do without them, says fourth-year interior design student Kameela Douiyssi.
Adobe costs $20 per month with the student discount for the first year of subscription, but after that it jumps to $30 per month.
Rhinoceros, a 3D modeling software required for architecture students, costs $195 to use. Students can purchase the program through the university for $72, but they must find the web page that contains that information, email the person responsible for setting up the software, and purchase with Gopher GOLD.
This access to cheaper Rhinoceros software is something the college doesn’t make public, so many students end up paying full price, Dommer-Koch said. Many professors recommend that students sign up for the 90-day free trial, Dommer-Koch said.
“They’re kind of getting away with suggesting we can get the free trial,” Dommer-Koch said. “A lot of people have done it so many times and used so many different emails that the software recognizes the computer and just won’t let you.”
Adobe and Rhinoceros are available on computers in the College of Design computer labs, as well as other program-required software, Assistant Dean of Student Services Steve Yang said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.
However, Douiyssi and other students do not see this as a satisfactory option. There is a heavy workload for most students that the computer lab hours cannot accommodate, Douiyssi said.
“You can’t be there 24/7,” Douiyssi said.
Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis provides each of their Bachelor of Architecture students with a laptop with Adobe programs installed, as long as they are enrolled students. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, students can download the programs for free because student technology fees cover the costs.
Other universities in the country vary, with students at the University of Arizona having free access to Adobe Creative Cloud, while students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California can access it at the reduced rate of $30 per year.
“It feels like something you don’t have to pay for as a student at the College of Design,” says Douiyssi.
College of Design wants to reduce costs in the future
The College of Design is exploring alternative ways to reduce costs for students, Yang said.
“One of our current initiatives is to accept donations of materials such as wood, metal and fabric to our fabrication shops, which students can then use at no charge,” Yang said.
The college has made some changes in the past year in what they expect students to pay for themselves, Dommer-Koch said. After a major project cost students between $300 and $400 in materials, a conversation arose about getting that money back to the students, Dommer-Koch said.
“For the first time, there was really talk about reimbursing students,” Dommer-Koch said.
