Lindenwood to increase tuition and housing costs; dining plans to change

Flowers+Hall%2C+a+dorm+on+Lindenwoods+campus.+++File+photo+by+Kat+Owens.++

Flowers Hall, a dorm on Lindenwood’s campus.
File photo by Kat Owens.

Alexis Montgomery, Editor-in-Chief

Lindenwood will be increasing their tuition and housing fees next year, according to an announcement made on the university’s website last month. 

According to the 2021-22 Educational Investment Costs announcement, full-time undergraduate tuition is increasing to $18,540, up from $18,000 the year before. 

Any returning or new full-time undergraduate student who enrolls or deposits by June 1 will be eligible for a one-time $540 priority registration grant applied to their bill, which will make the tuition the same as the 2020-21 year. 

Housing costs will also increase by an average of $1,000 for the year.

The housing prices for the 2021-22 school year will be: $10,200 for a standard, double or triple room in a residence hall; $10,800 for a single room in a residence hall; and $11,000 for a single room in non-traditional housing. 

In the 2020-21 school year, a standard room in a residence hall cost $9,200 and a single room cost $9,800. A single room in a house cost $10,000. 

The fee for requesting an official transcript from the Registrar’s Office will also increase to $8. 

Kelly Moyich, interim dean of students, said that Lindenwood typically increases tuition each year. 

While we did not increase tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year, there is a $540 increase for tuition for the 2021-2022 year,” Moyich said in an email.  “Students who register for the Fall 2021 semester are eligible for an Early Registration Grant valued at $540 which offsets this increase.”

Moyich said that room and board costs have not increased in the past two years, however, will increase this year. She said the increase is due in part to the new meal options available in the fall. 

Dining services will undergo major changes next year. Currently, meal plan swipes take place during designated time periods Monday through Friday. Only one meal swipe is allowed per time period. 

Moyich said that starting next semester, designated time periods for meal swipe plans have been removed. Dining Dollars will also be increased in each meal plan option. 

Dining Dollar balances will also be transferable from the fall to the spring semester. Previously, leftover Dining Dollars did not roll over to the next semester.

“The Lion’s Roar and Lion’s Roam meal plans are eligible for fall Dining Dollar balance transfers,” Moyich said. “If you are enrolled in one of these programs both semesters, your fall Dining Dollars balance will transfer to the spring.”

In addition to three meal swipes per day, students who choose the Lion’s Feast meal plan will have access to an additional dining opportunity during a designated time at Evans Dining Hall on weekdays.

“Participants can select from an array of meal options at the five stations located in Evans Dining Hall. Logistical components of this plan are still being developed,” Moyich said. 

Moyich said that mobile ordering will continue for student convenience even after the pandemic requirements are lifted in the dining halls. She also said new food and drink options are being considered based upon feedback from student surveys.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that a single room in a residence hall cost $9,000 for the 2020-21 school year. We apologize for the mistake.