As the University system prepares for one of its toughest years in history, its Board of Governors today will tackle two big issues facing students — the rising cost of tuition and the depleting funds for financial aid.
The board is expected to review campus proposals for tuition increases to send to the N.C. General Assembly for approval. Although students will not know the final tuition increase until the summer, the outcome is expected to be bleak.
Most campuses, including UNC, have proposed tuition increases close to 6.5 percent, which is the most they could ask for under the system’s tuition policy.
As board members consider the tuition proposals, UNC-system Association of Student Governments President Atul Bhula, who is a non-voting member of the board, is expected to provide student feedback.
“I want the board to realize any type of tuition increase is definitely going to impact the students,” Bhula said. “We can’t afford it.”
Administrators at the University level said in November they asked for the full increase to offset the inevitable budget cuts looming ahead.
Gov. Bev Perdue had originally asked the UNC system to prepare for cuts between 5 and 10 percent for the upcoming fiscal year.
But in a recent memo to chancellors, new UNC-system President Thomas Ross said a 15 percent cut could be a possibility in light of an expected $3.7 billion state budget shortfall.
The state legislature could also approve a supplementary tuition increase during the summer or mandate the revenue generated from the increase go toward the state’s general fund instead of staying on the campuses.
