Officials: Hikes Won't Deter Out-of-Staters

The UNC-system Board of Governors approved Wednesday a systemwide 8 percent tuition increase for in-state students and a 12 percent increase for out-of-state students. The BOG also approved Wednesday a $300 campus-initiated tuition increase for all UNC-CH students.

For UNC-CH's out-of-state students, the BOG's actions could result in a total increase of $1,778.

The tuition increases must be approved by the N.C. General Assembly before they are implemented.

Both increases come on top of a 9 percent across-the-board increase that the legislature approved last summer, which was an increase of about $1,000 for out-of-state students.

In total, out-of-state students could pay $2,778 more next year than they initially expected to pay for the academic year.

But UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser said the University would still be able to attract quality out-of-state students if the increases are approved. "It will impact us less than some of the smaller campuses in the system," he said.

Moeser said UNC-CH must offer financial aid, particularly to applicants demonstrating need, to continue attracting out-of-state students.

Jerome Lucido, UNC-CH director of undergraduate admissions, said the University attracts a high number of applicants because it offers a well-rounded experience at a reasonable price. "(Students come here) for the quality and completeness of the college experience, and it is also perceived as a great value."

Lucido estimated that 10,000 of the 17,000 applications received this year came from out-of-state students. He added that he thinks the University will admit about 15 percent to 16 percent of students from the out-of-state pool this fall.

Lucido said that even with the sizable increases, tuition for out-of-state students at UNC-CH is still lower than at most peer institutions. "We haven't reached a point in the growth of our tuition where we are no longer competitive," he said.

But Lucido added that if trends in increasing out-of-state tuition continue, administrative officials will have to re-examine the University's image in the eyes of out-of-state students.

Lucido later said that even with out-of-state tuition reaching $15,000, UNC-CH remains ahead of the field in terms of cost.

"It's important to understand the other choices (students have)," he said. "Unless it's the (students') home public institution, we'll still have a competitive advantage."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.