Tuition could rise six percent
The Board of Curators is scheduled to vote on tuition in March.
Published Jan. 31, 2006
Students can expect a 6 percent tuition increase in Fall Semester 2006 under a tuition formula proposed by UM system President Elson Floyd, the UM system's vice president for finance and administration said.
Tuition for in-state undergraduate students would increase to $229.50 per credit hour from $216.50 per credit hour, according to documents presented to the board. Tuition for out-of-state undergraduate students would increase to $574.90 from $542.40 per credit hour.
The Board of Curators did not vote on the tuition increase at its Friday meeting. It is scheduled to vote on the increase in March, said Nikki Krawitz, the UM system vice president for finance and administration.
In addition to tuition raises, Krawitz said the UM system could introduce up to nine new educational fees for Fall Semester 2006 at all four UM system campuses.
Proposed fees for MU include a $32 architectural course fee and a $10 science lab fee. Both fees are per credit hour and would be levied if a student took an applicable course.
A $10-per-credit-hour facility fee also is proposed for all classes at MU.
The Board of Curators will vote on these fees in March.
The tuition increase is calculated by a formula Floyd proposed in December to the Board of Curators, Krawitz said.
Although the board has not yet voted on the tuition increase under this plan, it was the only tuition model discussed at the board's meeting on Friday.
Maria Curtis, the student representative to the Board of Curators, said that a 6 percent increase did not alarm the board.
"I think the general sentiment was that a 6 percent increase was feasible," Curtis said.
In response to the proposed tuition increase, UM system spokesman Joe Moore said Floyd had asked each of the UM system's four chancellors to reduce costs by increasing efficiency.
"What we are doing is examining how we can cut administrative cuts by 10 percent by the start of the next fiscal year," Moore said, adding that plans were due by April to implement them by fiscal year 2007, which begins in July.
Krawitz said the increase in fees and tuition rates stemmed from an increase of mandatory costs for the UM system, particularly from benefits for university faculty and staff.
"For the next fiscal year, we have a 14.9 percent increase in costs for employee benefits," Krawitz said.
Curtis said the Board of Curators spent much of the financial planning portion of Friday's board meeting examining the cost of health care.
"We spent a lot of time discussing how health care is going up in the state of Missouri, in every institution and how the university system would address the situation," Curtis said.
The March meeting will take place at the University of Missouri-Rolla on March 23 and 24.