23
June
2011
|
18:00 PM
America/New_York

Ohio State trustees set tuition for 2011-12

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees today approved tuition and fees for the 2011-12 academic year. Tuition for Columbus campus undergraduates will increase by 3.5 percent, effective autumn quarter. However, mandatory fees will be frozen, so students will see an overall increase of 3.3 percent over current rates.

Translated into dollars, in-state Ohio State undergraduates will experience an annual increase of $315 for a typical three-quarter academic year. The increase brings the annual cost to $9,735, up from $9,420 last year.

The tuition increase will partially offset an expected $60 million reduction in operating funding from the state. In addition, the state has yet to approve the capital appropriations budget which puts further financial strains on Ohio State.

“In asking for increases, we are mindful of the economic hardships this may cause some of our students,” said Geoffrey Chatas, senior vice president and chief financial officer. “We are increasing financial aid significantly so that we can continue to maintain access for qualified students.”

Even with the increases, Chatas said Ohio State is an excellent value compared to schools in Ohio and the national universities that Ohio State compares with.

“Of the state’s six public selective admissions universities, only one has lower tuition. And compared to benchmark and other Big Ten institutions, Ohio State’s increase is well below the average increase of 7.4 percent.”

The board also approved tuition increases and fees for regional campus undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark and the Agricultural Technical Institute at Wooster will see a 3.5 percent annual increase, or $225 per year, bringing the annual cost to $6,903, up from $6,678 last year. However, a portion of tuition and fees at regional campuses is offset by a state tuition credit.

On all campuses, graduate tuition will increase 5 percent. Based on comparative costs at other universities and program demand, some graduate and professional program costs will implement differential tuition increases of 2 to 4 percent above the graduate tuition increase. The non-resident (graduate and undergraduate) surcharge will also increase 5 percent except for programs in law, optometry, veterinary medicine and master of labor & human resources.

In addition to instructional costs, trustees also approved a 5.7 percent increase in average room and board costs, taking the typical package from $8,874 to $9,378 per year.