Ohio State trustees complete tuition increase

COLUMBUS -- Trustees approved a previously announced increase for undergraduate instructional and general fees at the Columbus campus for the 2004-05 fiscal year. The 13.4 percent increase will go into effect autumn quarter.

Tuition at the Columbus campus is subject to a 12.9 percent cap imposed by the Ohio General Assembly, and no more than 9 percent can be approved in a single vote of the board. In May, trustees approved a 9 percent hike, along with a new $36 student recreation center fee, and today’s approval of the remaining 3.9 percent -- which will be earmarked for financial aid for low-income undergraduate students and student learning technology -- completes the tuition approval process. The board also approved program and technology fees for undergraduate students in music, business, nursing and biological sciences.

“Access for our students will be maintained by expanding university-funded financial aid programs,” said Barbara R. Snyder, executive vice president and provost. “Students will benefit from greater access to regular faculty, improved instructional technology, and learning opportunities outside the classroom.”

In addition to the 12.9 percent tuition increase and the new recreation fee, other fees that are increasing include room and board by an average 5.7 percent, student health insurance by 13.8 percent, parking and campus bus service by 5.9 percent, and football tickets by 22.7 percent. The total cost for a resident undergraduate to attend Ohio State’s Columbus campus and live in university housing during the upcoming school year will increase $1,435, or 10.1 percent, for a total of $14,262.

“Costs of undergraduate education are rising faster than state support,” William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance, told trustees. “While we continue to reduce costs wherever possible without harming our students, the recommended increase in tuition is necessary to allow Ohio State to maintain the quality of its instructional programs for students. Despite the uncertain financial environment and intense competition, Ohio State will remain a tremendous value for our students and for the people of Ohio.”

The board also approved a 9.9 percent tuition increase for undergraduate students at the university’s regional campuses -- in Lima, Newark, Mansfield and Marion -- and the Agricultural Technology Institute in Wooster, with 6 percent approved at today’s meeting and the remaining 3.9 percent to be voted on at the board’s July meeting. A portion of the tuition at regional campuses is subject to an offset, but that amount has not yet been determined by the state. Instructional and general fees for graduate students at the regional campuses and ATI will be increased 12.9 percent; a non-resident surcharge for all students at those campuses will increase 6 percent, equal to the surcharge increase at the Columbus campus.