Lincoln University curators approve immediate student fee increases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Lincoln University Board of Curators approved increases to tuition and room and board Thursday.
The unanimous approval means the change takes effect immediately, going against a recommendation from an LU administrator to waive the fees for the upcoming fall semester.
Tuition was increased by 2.63% and room and board fees were increased by 2.7%. The increases represent a more than $230,000 bump in revenue for the university, according to LU administrators.
The recommendation from the university administration was to approve the increase and waive the added student fees until after the fall semester.
The action Thursday comes months after university leadership approved a flat-rate tuition fee for the students taking between 12 and 18 credit hours.
LU leaders have discussed financial troubles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic recently. Curators discussed a 25% drop in enrollment for the upcoming semester during their May meeting. LU President Jerald Woolfolk said enrollment has fallen every year over the past decade.
Curators tabled actions on the fiscal 2021 budget until the next board meeting.
Missouri universities are allowed to increase tuition based on the state's tuition average. Before the meeting, the university's tuition was slightly lower than the state average, according to university leaders.
