The total cost of attendance for all University students increased by 3.9 percent for the 2011-2012 academic year, according to a letter sent to Brandeis students in May by Vice President for Enrollment Keenyn McFarlane.

The total amount for tuition, room and board and fees for the 2011-2012 academic year is $53,754, which is an increase from last year's total of $51,668, though both numbers can vary depending on a student's choice of meal plan and housing.

In an interview with the Justice, McFarlane said that this year's increase in tuition is "a moderate increase, though moderate is a subjective word because to families for who 3.9 [perecent] is a lot of money, it is upsetting." He then added, "Brandeis has seen larger tuition increases, and I can't think of a time when there has been a smaller increase."

In the letter McFarlane sent to Brandeis parents, he wrote, "We will continuously strive to control our costs, work more efficiently and more creatively, and invest in areas that directly serve our students." The three areas he mentioned that would benefit from this increase were support for financial aid, an upgrade of the campus technology network and the renovation of the Linsey Pool.

McFarlane said that the pool and network are "fairly visible and easy to point to for people to identify with," but that the increase in tuition also reflects the fact that "the cost of doing business goes up every year because of inflation costs, labor costs and the cost of wages, … and all of the staff and the faculty you see, … the maintenance of existing buildings, also the cost of all contracts [Brandeis] holds." In that same vein, he also said, "When tuition goes up, it goes up to support the overall academy and experience of the students."

And while tuition has increased, Brandeis' new financial aid policy meets the full need of incoming students, according to McFarlane. He said that this policy says to parents that "[The administrators] know [tuition is] expensive and we're trying to help out with that."

In an April interview with the Justice, Director of Network and Systems John Turner said that the network upgrade, which has a price tag of $6 million, "will revamp both the wireless and non-wireless networks." In an April interview with the Justice, Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins said this upgrade is necessary because "the numbers of mobile devices that people are carrying … has just grown enormously over the past few years." The Linsey Pool renovation "has been an important concern for students since it closed," then-Student Union President Daniel Acheampong '11 said in a March interview. The $3 million project will "help with the development and the growth of [Brandeis]," said Acheampong.