Trustees: Tuition Proposal

OHIO STATE CONSIDERING 6 PERCENT TUITION INCREASE

     COLUMBUS -- Ohio State University is considering a 6 
percent raise in tuition for in-state resident undergraduate 
students.

     In a meeting of the Board of Trustees Thursday (2/29), 
Ohio State administrators recommended the increase for 
autumn quarter to maintain a competitive position with other 
universities with regard to the quality of academic programs 
and services to students.  A formal vote is not planned 
until May.

     The increase amounts to $195 per year for a full-time 
student.  It would raise the current annual rate from $3,273 
to $3,468.  Resident graduate students would pay $4,941, up 
from the current $4,707.

     Richard Sisson, senior vice president for academic 
affairs and provost, said, "It is essential that Ohio State 
maintain and enhance its support and services for students 
both in and outside the classroom, a commitment we are 
pursuing in consonance with the recent recommendations of 
our joint student-faculty-staff Committee on the 
Undergraduate Experience."

     William J. Shkurti, vice president for finance, shared 
revenue information with trustees Thursday.  Sisson and 
Shkurti plan to discuss expenditures at the board's April 3 
meeting and will submit budget guidelines for the board's 
approval on May 3 to allow broad consultation with student 
groups.

     Shkurti noted that resident undergraduate fees at Ohio 
State are 9.6 percent below the average for 16 peer 
institutions across the country and the fourth lowest of the 
13 public universities in Ohio.

     In terms of academic reputation, however, Ohio State 
leads the state's public universities, based on a 1995 U.S. 
News and World Report survey of college presidents, deans 
and admission directors at 229 comprehensive national 
universities.  Ohio State was ranked 36th overall.  The next 
Ohio public university was Miami University at 73.

     "This makes Ohio State an excellent value for Ohio 
taxpayers, but it also means that the university doesn't 
have the resources to match our competition in the area of 
services to students outside the classroom," said Sisson.

     Shkurti added, "It's not good enough to just have a low 
price anymore.  You have to offer a low price and a quality 
product.  External evaluations, such as academic reputation, 
demonstrate the quality of our instruction is high, but our 
students tell us we need to do a better job in providing 
support services to them outside the classroom."

     Although universities have been criticized for raising 
tuition above the rate of inflation, Shkurti noted that 
other factors must be addressed.

     In addition to inflation, now about 3 percent, unfunded 
mandates account for 0.5 percent of the increase.  The 
mandates include compliance with state and federal laws and 
regulations pertaining to safety, health, disability, right 
to know, and the environment.

     Another 1.5 percent is needed to provide more financial 
aid to students.

     Finally, the vice presidents are recommending that the 
tuition increase include 1 percent earmarked solely for 
improvements to student services.  Trustees took a similar 
action in setting tuition last year.  The money is to be 
channeled into strengthening instructional computing, 
recreational opportunities for students, support of student 
organizations, and other services and programs.

     One reason tuition increases have exceeded the rate of 
inflation is that state instructional subsidies have fallen 
below inflation, averaging 0.3 percent a year over the past 
five years.  During that time, tuition on the Columbus 
campus has increased 20 times faster than state support, and 
has averaged 6.2 percent.  Revenue from other sources has 
increased an average of 5.5 percent a year.

     Although Ohio State has maintained low tuition as part 
of its land-grant heritage of making college affordable and 
accessible, Shkurti noted, the structure of the state's 
ceiling on tuition increases further limits the university's 
ability to compete with others in providing services.  The 
ceiling, in place for several years, is currently 6 percent.

     Because of the way the tuition cap is structured, Ohio 
State cannot increase the dollar amount of tuition as much 
as other universities that already charge higher prices.

     Shkurti noted that a 6 percent increase in tuition, if 
enacted, would generate $196 per student at Ohio State and 
$289 at Miami University.  An in-state undergraduate at 
Miami this year is paying $4,810, the highest such fee among 
public universities in the state and more than $1,500 above 
the $3,273 Ohio State charges a comparable student.  Miami 
has not set fees for the coming year.

     Ohio State's current undergraduate tuition is $1,091 a 
quarter.  The proposed increase would raise that $65 to 
$1,156.  Graduate tuition would rise by $78 from $1,569 to 
$1,647.

     Non-resident undergraduates would pay $3,445 a quarter, 
up $174 from the current rate, while out-of-state graduate 
students would pay $4,277, up $203 from the current level.

     Ohio State's professional schools are requesting 
tuition increases for state residents of 7 percent in the 
College of Veterinary Medicine, 8 percent in the colleges of 
Dentistry and Medicine, and 9.5 percent in the College of 
Law.  The College of Nursing is requesting an additional fee 
of $100 to $150 per clinical course.

     Under university policy instituted last year and 
recommended again this year, a college can retain the 
percentage above 5 percent for financial aid and 
improvements to other program directly benefiting students, 
provided that enrollment remains constant.

                             #

Contact:  Richard Sisson, (614) 292-5881, or William J. 
Shkurti, (614) 292-9232.

Written by Tom Spring, (614) 292-8309.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Thu, 29 Feb 1996 16:47:12 -0500]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.