From Twitter
Talking about College (Choose the best answer):
Jon: What’s your ___ ?
Chulsu: You mean the fee–like how much?
Jon: Yes.
Chulsu: I’m confused.
Jon: Well, it has many parts: books, housing, activities– but we just say ”__.”
Chulsu: Oh.
a. class cost
b. tuition
c. tuition fee
Explanation:
It is true that tuition and tuition fee mean the same thing, but tuition is shorter and tuition fee is really only useful when we are talking about other fees along with it:
This month I had to pay tuition-, maintenance- and parking- fees! I’m going to a need a second job!
Conversation
Hikaru and Jim are two students in their first year of college at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.Hikaru is from Japan and Jom from Ohio. Getting used to life in New York City is exciting, but expensive. School of Visual Arts is an extremely expensive private art college, so the young men often worry about paying for it….
Hikaru and Jim are having lunch at Au Mon Pain, luncheon a chain:
Hikaru: Do you have to pay your tuition fee this month?
Jim: Yeah. No–wait–what do you mean, man?
Hikaru: Don’t you have to pay for your classes?
Jim: Sure, but, we don’t say ”tuition fee.” What else would tuition be if not a fee? In fact, a tuition fee sounds like an additional payment we must make… plus the tuition.
Hikaru: What do you mean?
Jim: Tuition is a fee. You don’t need to say “fee.” It’s like saying “fee” twice– like “automobile car”.
Hikaru: Really?
Jim: Really.
