But these increases have yet to be approved by the N.C. General Assembly.
Rob Nelson, UNC-system associate vice president for finance, said that under state law, the UNC-system Board of Governors is responsible for setting tuition.
Nelson said that because the legislature has not yet ruled on the BOG's tuition proposal, the tuition increases stand as is. "That's the board's recommendation, and it's being considered by the General Assembly," he said.
The budget approved by the state Senate included the tuition increases as approved by the BOG, but it is still unknown what changes, if any, the House will try to make to the plan.
Dennis Press, UNC-CH controller, said that tuition amounts are set by the BOG and the General Assembly but that the schedule for billing is set by each individual university. The bills are sent out at the same time each year and are based on the best information available at the time, he said.
Press said the University sends out bills for tuition as early as possible -- even if the numbers are not yet finalized -- because officials want to give students as much time as possible to pay or make arrangements to pay.
Students who do not pay are subject to cancellation so their seats can be offered to other students, he said.
Press said that the billing cycle is on a tight schedule and that it was important that the bills be sent without waiting for the final word from the legislature.
Because the 8 percent in-state, 12 percent out-of-state and $300 campus-initiated increases have all been approved by the BOG and are being reviewed by the General Assembly, those increases were included in the bills for next year.
