Princeton University announced this week that it will not raise its tuition for the first time since 1967, but some experts do not believe the move will spark a trend among Ivy League schools.
Princeton will keep its tuition for the 2007-2008 school year at $33,000, though room-and-board costs will increase $1,780 - a 19-percent jump from last year.
The changes represent a 4.2-percent overall cost increase, in line with Princeton's 4.9 percent increase last year and with typical increases for peer institutions.
Similar moves in the past - such as Harvard University's decision in 2004 to pay complete tuition for families who earn less than $40,000 - have spurred other schools to play copy-cat and adopt the same policies.
But William Hamm, president of the Council of Independent Education, said he doesn't believe the same will hold true as a result of Princeton's announcement.
Penn and peer institutions have yet to release their tuition rates for the 2007-2008 academic year, though Penn's comparatively low endowment of $4 billion may prohibit the University from freezing its own tuition.
Last year, Penn's total costs rose by 5.25 percent, bringing the price of academic tuition, fees and room and board up to $43,960.
Harvard's 2006-07 total costs came in at $43,655, a 4.8-percent increase, while Yale experienced a 5-percent raise, bringing its price up to $43,050
Penn will not release its costs for next year until the third week of March, Penn spokesman Ron Ozio said.
Ozio added that Penn officials will not comment on the tuition of any other university.
As for Princeton, spokes woman Cass Cliatt said the trustees made this decision through "desire" to make students benefit from the "favorable performance" of the university's $13 billion endowment.
But Hamm was skeptical of the University's intentions, due to the abnormally large increase in room and board, though he added he believes the trustees at Princeton are "well-intentioned."
"The cynic in me says that this is a wonderful public-relations move," he said. "It got them on the front page of every newspaper."
In response to the criticism, Cliatt pointed out that the increase in room-and-board fees is not related to tuition and is for the purpose of improving both services.
"The rise in room and-board-fees will support the significant improvements we are making to our dining offerings as part of our residential-college improvements," she said.
And, in the meantime, Princeton students have been reacting favorably to the recent decision by their administration.
"We definitely have all this grant money, and it's good to see it put toward education," Princeton junior Sean Hammer said.
