1/25/2010 - Jackson, Miss.
The Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning approved tuition increases between 4.5 and 9 percent at Mississippi's eight public universities during a meeting via teleconference today.
Multi-year business plans, which included tuition increase requests for fiscal years 2011 and 2012, were presented at the Board's regular meeting last week. The vote today to approve the increase requests was unanimous among members present.
According to the business plans, tuition revenue will only make up about 36 percent of the budget shortfalls projected through fiscal year 2013. Institutions will address about $116.1 million of the expected $182.5 million shortfall in state appropriations through cuts, efficiencies and enrollment growth. Board members and Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Hank Bounds made it clear that the tuition increases would be flexible depending on state appropriations.
"It is our hope that what was approved today is a worst-case scenario; if we do not see cuts this deep, we can reduce the increases," Dr. Bounds said. "The Board and our universities remain committed to ensuring higher education is affordable in Mississippi and that our degree programs are of the highest quality."
Some institutions are already making provisions for low-income students, Dr. Bounds added, by increasing scholarships and freezing tuition increases for those below a certain threshold. Tuition at the institutions will still remain significantly below the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) average, assuming SREB increases by 5 percent.
For resident students, the approved increases are as follows:
RESIDENT TUITION INCREASES | ||
Institution | FY 2011 | FY 2012 |
ASU | 8% | 8% |
DSU | 9% | 9% |
JSU | 9% | 9% |
MSU | 6% | 6.3% |
MUW | 5% | 5% |
MVSU | 4.5% | 4.5% |
UM | 6.5% | 6.5% |
UMMC | 6.5% | 6.5% |
USM | 7% | 7% |
System Average | 6.8% | 6.9% |
For non-resident students, the approved increases to surcharges are as follows:
NON-RESIDENT TUITION INCREASES | ||
Institution | FY 2011 | FY 2012 |
ASU | 8% | 8% |
DSU | 9% | 9% |
JSU | 9% | 9% |
MSU | 6% | 6.3% |
MUW | 5% | 5% |
MVSU | 4.5% | 4.5% |
UM | 6.5% | 6.5% |
UMMC | 6.5% | 6.5% |
USM | 0% | 0% |
System Average | 6.1% | 6.1 % |
In the fall, all eight universities were asked to develop multi-year business plans to address a 10 percent cut from the original appropriation in the current fiscal year, including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars; an additional 5 percent cut in FY 2011; and an additional 10 percent cut in FY 2012, including ARRA dollars.
Universities were also asked to include any items that may increase in the coming years including insurance, accreditation costs and minimum wage.
Click here to listen to an archived audio file of the teleconference meeting. Updated information can also be found on IHL's Facebook fan page, Mississippi Universities.
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John Sewell
Director of Communications
Telephone: 601.432.6333
