UM System tuition hike proposed at curators’ meeting in Rolla

A 2.1 percent tuition increase for Missouri undergraduate students will likely be approved for fiscal year 2018.

Interim Vice President for Finance Ryan Rapp presented the proposal at Thursday’s UM Board of Curators meeting held at Missouri S&T in Rolla.

For MU students, the proposal means the per credit hour rate would increase by $5.80. Rapp said the tuition hike would bring in about $14.4 million in additional revenue. The proposed increase is also within the limitations set by Senate Bill 389.

Another option discussed at the meeting was differential tuition. That means students would pay more for high cost programs, such as engineering, in comparison to something like history or liberal arts.

“As students and parents continue to to pay for more and more in the cost of education, there’s going to be demand to pay at the program level,” one official said.

President Choi said all options need to be discussed. “As we move forward we will bring you pros and cons of 389 and differential tuition,” he said.

The tuition proposal comes amid unprecedented budget cuts from the state. President Choi has said he expects $57 million in cuts to permanent funding.