Tuition’s Reach

Student tuition increases by 3 percent for Fall 2011

A three percent tuition increase to colleges in Georgia, approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents on April 19, translates to a $194 increase in tuition for Georgia College students.

The tuition hikes come from an estimated 35 percent increase that was needed to supplement budget gaps in the system.

“These are tough economic times,” Georgia College President Dorothy Leland said in a press release. “We recognize the challenge this creates for some of our students and their families, and we’re here to help all that we can.”

The breakdown of the increase in tuition results in Georgia College students paying $3,236 per semester, which equates to a $94 increase. Students will also see a rise of $100 to the special institutional fee, which was implemented two years ago to supplement the shortfall in the system when the state started making budget cuts.

The recent HOPE Scholarship cuts implemented stated it will cover 90 percent of tuition of students who meet the current 3.0 standard. However, with the increase of tuition HOPE will now cover 87.4 percent of tuition.

“I think it’ll be a big deal, especially with the fact that HOPE is decreasing,” said freshman undeclared major Laura Hamley. “If everything hadn’t changed all at the same time, I probably wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

Of the 35 Georgia colleges and universities, the four research universities will see the largest tuition increase with tuition rising to $3,641 — an increase of $106 from Fall 2010.

The BOR had three main factors that resulted in the increase in tuition, according to Usha Ramachandran, the System’s chief financial officer in a USG press release. Maintaining affordability was at the forefront of altering tuition state-wide. The board paid special attention to ensure the overall increase in tuition and special institutional fee to a single digit percentage was kept.

The board also wanted to keep the HOPE Scholarship payment as close to 90 percent as possible — resulting in the 87.4 percent covered with the new increase of tuition.

“Our third priority is to maintain academic excellence at our 35 degree-granting institutions,” Ramachandran said.

Though the increase is in the single-digit percentage range, students still say they will feel the repercussions of the board’s decision.

“I’ll have to take out a bigger loan next year to pay for (tuition),” Humley said.

However, Georgia College remains ready to meet student needs according to Leland.

“We really want to help students continue to move toward their degree at Georgia College, whether that involves helping them find a job on campus, getting a low-interest loan or some other means to finance their education,” Leland said.

Posted by AubrieSofala on Apr 21 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.