Time to dig even deeper into your parents’ wallets, Wildcats: Tuition’s up again.

According to an e-mail sent to the student body, tuition is increasing by 4.8 percent, with financial aid increasing by 11 percent. So things should even out, right?

Here’s the numeric breakdown for you.

Tuition
2008-2009: $36,756
2007-2008: $35,064
Increase: $1,692

Room and board (for an undergraduate living in a double and on a 19-per-week meal plan)
2008-2009: $11,294
2007-2008: $10,777
Increase: $517

Total cost
2008-2009: $48,050
2007-2008: $45,840
Increase: $2,210

This year’s increase is unique for two reasons: It’s actually a lower percentage raise than usual, and closer to the national inflation rate. In 2005, costs were raised by 5.7 percent, dropping to 5.2 percent in 2006 and 4.96 in 2007. In contrast, average inflation in 2005 rose by 3.39 percent, with 2006’s average coming in at 3.24 percent and 2007 at 2.85. Inflation in January of 2008 was at 4.28 percent, making our price increases seem almost logical.

“Costs in general tend to go up every year,” said Alan Cubbage, vice president of university relations. According to Cubbage, the increases are mainly to pay for the salaries and benefits of Northwestern faculty and staff, as well as improvements to the university such as curriculum improvements and library materials.

Fortunately, the amount of money available for scholarships has gone up from $70 million to $78 million. But unless you have the “greatest financial need” as determined by the university, you probably won’t be seeing any of that; it’s part of the package designed to eliminate loans for those aforementioned students. Qualifying students will attend NU without taking out any student loans (in addition to the ones they already have, for currently enrolled students).

“If you aren’t already on financial aid, this isn’t really going to affect you,” said Cubbage. “If you are currently receiving financial aid, it just depends on your individual circumstances. Each student’s financial aid is calculated on an individual basis each year. There are roughly 5,000 individual financial aid packages put together every single year.”

If you’re not quite so financially in need, Northwestern’s capping your federal Stafford and Perkins loans at a total of $20,000. This, combined with the loan elimination initiative, will help approximately 1,200 students. The rest of you just need to keep batting your eyelashes at mom and dad.

Oh, and your activity fee is going up by $4, but compared to some other hikes, that’s almost a relief. Maybe next year those A&O tickets you aren’t getting will be cheaper.