IU Board of Trustees approve increases in tuition, fees

By James Tinney

The board voted to approve both the tuition increases and the overall budget plan submitted by university administrators. That budget plan is designed to protect IU’s academic programs despite a series of state budget cuts. IU has now absorbed more than $100 million in cuts and state appropriations that were withheld as the state’s worsening economy prompted a series of budget reductions beginning last summer.

An increase in the student technology fee also was approved for all campuses. Technology fees vary from campus to campus. For IUB, the technology fee will increase from $100 to $200 per semester. The fee will double on the other campuses as well.

University officials stressed that the technology fee increase is temporary and will be rescinded when state technology funding is reinstated. Funds for technology have been particularly hard-hit by state budget reductions. Money from the increased technology fee will support student-oriented programs, including the new student information system, classroom technology and high-speed online access.

“This increase in tuition and fees is the minimum necessary to protect the quality of IU and preserve the long-term value of an IU degree,” IU President Myles Brand said. “We certainly hope that the state’s budget difficulties are short-term. But we know that the long-range economic health of the state depends on strong institutions of higher education.”

The increase will allow the university to preserve academic programs, improve retention and hire more full-time faculty members at IUPUI and the regional campuses. At IUB, a primary goal continues to be to preserve student access to top-notch instructors and researchers.

“Our faculty members are the foundation of IU’s academic reputation and are central to the positive learning experiences of our students. We cannot short-change faculty retention and recruitment if we are to maintain the excellence of the university,” Brand said.

As the series of cuts and delays in state funding have affected IU, administrators have sought to minimize damage to the academic mission. But the deep cuts in funding for repair and rehabilitation of facilities pose a real threat of lasting damage to the institution. Reductions in force have been the direct result of the state’s cuts in repair and rehabilitation funding.

The tuition increase means that a typical full-time, in-state undergraduate student at IUB will pay $188.80 more per semester in tuition than the previous year, for a total of $2,286.55 per semester. Out-of-state IUB undergrads will pay $626.85 more or $7,591.85 per semester. Graduate school tuition varies by school. Tuition at IUPUI and the other regional campuses is charged per credit hour. A full-time IUPUI student will pay $2,091.75 in tuition per semester in 2002-03, a $172.50 increase. Full-time students at the regional campuses will pay about $130 more in tuition per semester.

The trustees also approved room and board rates for students living in residence halls in the 2002-03 academic year. The cost of meal plans was not increased. Room rates will go up by 4 percent plus a 1 percent capital improvement fee, resulting in a combined room and board total increase of 2.86 percent.

IU’s tuition increase is lower than those of many of its peers in the Big Ten and the Midwest. Many institutions have announced or are considering double-digit tuition increases as a result of state appropriations reductions.