NC State Board of Trustees Approves Proposed Tuition and Fee Package

The North Carolina State University Board of Trustees this morning approved a proposal to increase resident undergraduate tuition by $330 for the 2012-13 academic year. The increase, part of a tuition and fee package designed to help offset nearly $125 million in state funding reductions to the university over the last five years, now will go to the UNC Board of Governors for consideration.

The trustees also approved a proposal to allow the university to implement a one-time “catch-up” tuition increase that, if approved by the Board of Governors, would be implemented over the next five years.

“Given the state’s economic situation and significant reduction in funding, NC State leadership believes these increases present the best path forward to preserve the quality of a NC State education and degree,” said Barbara Mulkey, chair of the NC State Board of Trustees. “However, even with the increases, NC State would remain a top national value, providing a world-class education at a cost well below the average tuition of peer institutions.”

Following the Board of Governors’ policy and guidelines, NC State trustees approved the following proposed Campus Initiated Tuition Increases (CITI) for next year.

• A $330 or 6.4 percent increase for resident undergraduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $5,483.

• A $660 or 3.7 percent increase for nonresident undergraduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $18,648.

• A $660 or 11.1 percent increase for resident graduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $6,618.

• A $660 or 3.7 percent increase for nonresident graduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $18,666.

The $11.6 million in revenue generated by the tuition increases would be used to: enhance the student experience through quality and accessibility improvements; fund faculty promotional increases; and support need-based financial aid and graduate-student support.

The trustees also approved a proposed $84.45 annual increase to student fees, which will help fund student health services, student center activities, athletic operations and recreational sports.

The trustees’ approval for allowing the catch-up tuition increase is a result of ongoing discussions by General Administration and the Board of Governors about the possibility of allowing a one-time tuition increase that would bring tuition at North Carolina public universities more in line with the upper end of the lower quarter of peer institutions. UNC System institutions are mandated to keep their tuition within the bottom quarter of peer colleges and universities.

If approved by the Board of Governors, the catch-up tuition at NC State is anticipated to be $1,168 implemented over five years, resulting in an approximate additional $234 increase per year. Funds from this increase at NC State would be used to add new faculty positions over four years, reduce class sizes and increase the number of class sections, support faculty and staff raises, and focus resources on advising and student support.

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