Most of us have been told consistently throughout our lives that an education is the most important attribute we can possess. However, it may be the largest attribute that we do not take full advantage of. We extend a great amount of financial resources to attend a university. Why do we choose not to receive our moneys worth? Tuition is a high price to pay for our own minimum participation. The price of the in-state tuition at UVM for the 2005-2006 academic school year was $19,964, and the price of the out-of-state tuition was $34,109. The startling fact is that whether a student takes a full 18 credits or a minimum of 12 credits, that student is paying the same amount. Let’s do the math. A student from Vermont taking a full load for the entire year pays only $554.54 per credit. If this same student decides to take only 12 credits for an entire academic year they are paying $831.83 per credit. The majority of students enrolled at UVM are from out-of-state and the difference in price between in and out-of-state student tuition is enormous. When calculated, an out-of-state student taking a full load of 18 credits during each semester pays $947.37 per credit. Again, if this same student decides to take a minimum of 12 credits they will be paying $1,421.20 per credit. There are many factors that go in to play when a student is choosing the amount of classes they wish to take. In some cases students cannot take the maximum amount of credits due to time conflicts. In other instances students don’t take the maximum amount of credits allowed because of the inconvenience of a particular course. It is a personal decision, but not one based on cost. An out-of-state student is paying an extra $473.83 per credit and receiving a total of 12 credits less towards their degree by taking the minimum instead of the maximum amount of credits allowed. An in-state student is paying an extra $277.29 per credit and receiving 12 credits less towards their degree by taking the minimum instead of the maximum amount of credits allowed. The majority of people paying $7.25 to see a movie at the theater will not leave despite what they think of the film. The majority of students will not complain if a professor lets a class out early. There is a good chance that people will be outraged if they have paid $25 to see a concert and it has been cancelled with no refund. Conversely, the chance of a student being upset if their class is cancelled is slim. On average, a student at UVM takes 15 credits a semester. On average, there are 10 academic weeks in a semester and most classes meet 150 minutes a week. This means that the average student attends 750 minutes, or 12.5 hours of class per week. If these numbers are multiplied, a student attends 7,500 minutes of classes each semester. An out-of-state student, with the average course load pays $2.27 per minute to attend class. If a class meets three times a week and one is cancelled then an out-of-state student is losing $113.50 for the missed 50 minutes of class. An in-state student pays $1.33 with the same course load and loses $66.50 for the same 50 minutes of missed class. The diploma that students receive when they graduate college means a great deal concerning career goals. What is behind each diploma can only be determined by each individual. There is no person or bi-law that prohibits students from taking up to 18 credits. Only a student can determine how much they wish to make of their college education. The price is high if a student chooses to not make much of it. These calculations are based on UVM’s 2005-2006 tuition rates. The 2006-2007 tuition rates will increase these numbers.