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Trustees Discuss Tuition Increases, Master Plan
By: Susan Tebben
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The Ohio University Board of Trustees are reviewing several issues before making final decisions, including increased costs for students.
The Joint Academic Resources Committee met Thursday morning, when they received an update on the Ohio Guarantee rate increases expected to come in the second cohort. Those students are currently high school seniors looking at colleges, according to Vice President For Finance and Administration Stephen Golding.
For those future students, Golding presented a plan that would include “moderate rate increases,” starting in fiscal year 2017. Under current planning assumptions, tuition for Ohio Guarantee students in the class of 2020 will increase 1.7 percent, or $196 per year for a full-time student, according to documents presented by Golding at the meeting. Non-residents will see a larger increase, of 5.6 percent, or $500 annually.
Room and board will increase for students as well, 3.5 percent in room charges and 2 percent for board. Based on a standard double room and a meal plan giving a student 20 meals per week, students would pay $223 more annually in room costs and $90 in boarding costs.
The room increases will be used to support costs for “overhauling” residential facilities, according to Golding.
Though the decision to increase rates was not unanimous when discussed before the Budget Planning Council, university officials say they don’t believe it will affect the amount of students OU will be able to attract.
“We don’t think this will have a significant impact on recruitment,” Golding said.
The university aims to have enrollment growth of 25 students from year to year, according to Craig Cornell, Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management. He said he agreed that rate increases shouldn’t make a difference in the enrollment numbers.
Under the current Ohio Guarantee, a standard double room costs $3,185 per semester and a 20-meal plan costs $2,247 per semester, according to the university.
Based on the four-year rate Guarantee, fees will not increase in years two through four of a students’ time at Ohio University.
Continuing, non-Ohio Guarantee students, saw an increase of 3.5 percent in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, along with a 1.6 and 1.5 percent increase in fiscal year 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Golding said the university is trying to “remain price sensitive” for non-residents, but also want to remain competitive with comparable universities.