Wayne State Raises In-state Tuition 6.91 Percent
DETROIT (WWJ) - It'll cost a bit more, next semester, for college students hitting the books in Detroit's cultural center. Faced with s $32 million cut in state funding, Wayne State University says it's raising tuition 6.9 percent for in-state undergraduates for the coming academic year.
The Wayne State board of governors voted Wednesday to approve the increase as part of its budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year.
Wayne State says it will make up for part of the increase with an 8.7 percent boost in financial aid
"We never want to raise tuition this much," said Tina Abbott, chair of the Board of Governors, in a statement. "We know how difficult this economy is, and how much this hurts students and their families. But we faced the largest cut in state appropriations in our history. We have a duty to protect the quality of a Wayne State education and we had no other choice," she said.
Wayne State's tuition will increase $18.55 per credit hour, which calculates to $223 per semester for students taking 12 credit hours in fall 2011.Wayne State's tuition ranks 13th among Michigan's 15 public universities, and the dollar amount of the increase is less than at almost every other Michigan public university.
"As students, we're never happy when tuition goes up," said Meghan Trivedi, vice president of the Student Senate. "But if it's necessary to ensure our academic quality isn't impacted, it's the right thing to do. I just wish higher education was a higher priority in this state."
With the latest budget cuts, university officials say Wayne State has reduced operating expenses by about $80 million since 2002.
This announcement comes as several other Michigan universities also announced hikes this week: Oakland is raising tuition 7 percent, Michigan State is raising tuition 6.9 percent, Saginaw Valley State 6.9 percent., the University of Michigan 6.7 percent, Western Michigan 6.6 percent and Eastern Michigan University raised tuition 3.65 percent.
