When NYU students skip class, they are losing more than just a lecture. Dissatisfaction, boredom, exhaustion and laziness are among the most popular excuses for skipping a class, but do students consider the amount of money squandered each time they opt out of class?

The price of each class varies depending on the school within NYU, but each is approximately $200. Assuming that students take 16 credits, or four courses that meet twice a week, the price of skipping one class in the College of Arts and Science is $193.37. One class is $199.44 in the Stern School of Business and $192.88 in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, which is also the price for a class in both the Gallatin School of Individualized Study and the Liberal Studies Program.

However, many students do have a grasp on how much money is being wasted each time they skip a class, but feel that the quality of information gained from class is more important than its monetary value.

CAS sophomore April Joo skips the same class usually at least once a week.

“The class is a joke,” Joo said. “I do not skip classes where I learn things or that I deem important.”

Others students find that they can do something better with their time, despite the cost.

For instance, Gallatin freshman Rachel Wang has a passion for fashion and design. She sometimes skips classes she feels are not directly helping her perfect these skills and are thus ultimately not helping her future profession in the fashion industry.

Although Wang wishes the cost would convince her not to skip, she said she probably will continue to skip some classes, specifically the ones that she did not choose to take.

“Some classes that I’m required to take are very dull, and I could spend those $200 on something else I feel is more fitting,” she said.

GLS sophomore Gurkaran Gulati also skips class to pursue what he believes is more important.

“I started a company and it required more time than just what I could provide in between classes, so I did unfortunately have to skip a few,” he said. However, Gulati said he would not skip class for any other reason.

Joo said that a student pays tuition for the ultimate achievement of graduating from NYU — a school whose name carries a certain prestige in the job market.

“You’re paying to get credits toward a diploma,” Joo said. “You’re just paying for the name.”

Many of these students justify skipping because their grades are still what they want them to be. Wang said that as long as her grades are satisfactory, she and her parents have no problem with her skipping class.

Tisch sophomore David Song, who skipped many International Writing classes last year, only decided to stop skipping when he saw his grade — the cost was not what changed his mind.

Steinhardt sophomore Moto Suzuki, who skips classes three or four times a week, said the key to encouraging students to attend class is convincing them they will benefit from being there.

“Make the classes worthwhile, meaning the students will likely apply the knowledge they get from the classes in their real life, either in the present or in the future,” he said.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, March 26 print edition. Crystal Cox is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].