The Wayne State University Board of Governors has approved a 3.8 percent tuition hike for undergraduate in-state students.
The increase came as the board approved the $631.2 million operating budget for 2017.
With the 3.8 percent increase, a lower-division undergraduate, which is a freshman or sophomore, will see an increase of $13.19 per credit hour.
An upper-division undergraduate student, which is a junior or senior, living in Michigan, will see an increase of 4.5 percent or $18.42 per credit hour. In all, that works out to an average of 4.1 percent tuition increase, which is below the state's cap.
“It’s always difficult to raise tuition knowing that our students will feel the effects of the increase,” Board of Governors Chair Gary Pollard said in a release. “The board’s decision followed months of intensive discussion and careful reviews of the university’s budget needs. We feel the increase is necessary to maintain the excellence of Wayne State University, but we also resolved to keep the increase below the state’s restraint cap.”
With the increase, the total for tuition and fees for a lower-division undergraduate taking 30 credit hours per year will be $12,268.50.
According to Wayne State, the budget also included a 9.1 percent increase in financial aid, and additional faculty to handle enrollment increases.
President M. Roy Wilson said among the state's 15 public universities, Wayne state has received the lowest percentage increase in state appropriation.
We have always been a university of excellence but also a university of opportunity. Many of our students work full or part time, have families, or come from challenging economic situations, but they have the talent and desire to succeed, "Wilson said. "More exclusive universities might not admit them, but we provide them with the opportunity for a college education. We think this is an important mission for both the students and the State. Unfortunately, our current metrics formula doesn’t fully recognize this critical mission.”
