U of M mulling highest tuition bump since 2010 for in-state students
The University of Minnesota may raise the cost of earning a college degree.
Interim President Jeff Ettinger’s budget for the next fiscal year proposes to slap a 4.5 percent tuition hike on in-state undergraduate students studying at the Twin Cities campus. If approved by the Board of Regents, that would be the highest annual tuition increase for Minnesota residents since 2010.
Students at other campuses would also pay more money.
“Tuition increases always suck,” said Blake Barrington, a freshman. “I think sometimes the fault is on the university for spending it needlessly. There’s a lot of clubs and activities that the university funds that I don’t think are necessarily needed."
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At least two members of the Board of Regents seem reluctant to embrace the proposed increase.
“I only learned that we were considering a tuition increase this weekend,” wrote Robyn Gulley, who represents the Second Congressional District, in an email to MPR News. “I have not been convinced that increasing tuition for our students — compelling many to take additional loans or work longer hours to make tuition payments — will benefit our whole university more than it will harm our students. I expect to vote no on this proposed tuition increase.”
James Farnsworth, a regent representing St. Paul, hadn’t heard about the proposed tuition hikes until he read about in the newspaper on Friday.
“In general, I’m not supportive of putting our budgetary pressures on the backs of our students right now,” he wrote in an email. “But [I] haven’t digested the proposal enough to be knowledgeable comment on it.”
In real terms, the total increase in tuition, room and board and fees for Minnesota residents would raise costs by an additional $453 to $1,552 per year, depending on the campus. For Twin Cities undergrads who reside in-state, tuition could increase by 4.5 percent to $15,148.
The U has consistently raised tuition across campuses, but in recent years has not exceeded annual hikes of 2-3 percent for locals. Proposed residential raises at other U campuses range from 1.5 to 4.5 percent and are anticipated to bring in $42.2 million in revenue.
“A large part of coming from in-state and going to the U is the fact that the tuition is a lot more affordable,” said freshman Adella Mulawarman. “I’m curious to see if they go ahead and increase it if there will be a difference in how many in-state students decide to attend here.”
Thanks to scholarships, Mulawarman got a break on tuition this year. But those scholarships are drying up and next year she’s worried about having to take out loans.
Tuition hikes could be incoming for out-of-state students, too, where the track record for an increasing price tag has been steeper. At the Twin Cities campus, non-resident undergraduates could face a 5.5 percent tuition increase, bringing tuition to $36,296. A decade ago, tuition was just over $19,000 for non-residents.
In a Star Tribune Op-Ed last month, regents Janie S. Mayeron, Douglas A. Huebsch and Kenyanya urged state legislators to approve the U’s funding request to help cover the cost for students and employee pay.
“As a nonprofit public university, our recurring operating fund request will minimize tuition increases for students and families, who should not shoulder the burden of the state’s diminishing support,” they wrote. “It will also help provide our 27,000 faculty and staff members systemwide with fair compensation and the facilities they need to remain competitive in the workforce. They all deserve support by state leaders.”
Students who choose U housing may also have to anticipate higher room and board costs at all campuses. That change is “primarily driven by inflationary cost pressures,” according to the proposal.
At the Duluth campus, standard room and board costs could go up by 8.9 percent, bringing the typical total to $10,456 per year. In the Twin Cities, that’s a 6.5 percent increase, bringing room and board totals up to $13,606.
A 6 percent increase is proposed at Morris, 5.2 percent at Rochester and 2.8 percent at Crookston.
The attendance cost hikes are paired with proposed expense reductions of $13.7 million. The bulk of that reduction is planned through eliminating positions after employees leave and hiring replacement employees at lower salaries.
Additional expense reductions are proposed through scaling back in-person events and conferences, reducing certain research and educational programs and shrinking food and supply budgets in some departments.
The public is welcome to comment on the proposal at the U Regents meeting Friday, or online through the morning of June 7. The 12-member Board of Regents are expected to vote on the final budget in June.