Despite years of large tuition increases, the group charged with proposing the next round of hikes might favor a more than $1,000 increase for out-of-state students.
At a meeting of the University’s tuition and fee advisory task force Tuesday, students, faculty and administrators addressed a possible increase of 6.5 percent — the UNC system’s self-imposed cap — for all out-of-state students and in-state graduate students.
Though the 13.5 percent, $695 tuition increase for in-state undergraduates passed last fall did help alleviate the strain felt by last year’s N.C. General Assembly budget cuts, administrators emphasized that there are still pressing issues to address and few ways to fund them.
The system Board of Governors has already passed a $600 increase for in-state undergraduates for the 2013-14 academic year.
Since the state legislature has also failed to meet its projected revenue for the year, administrators are predicting further cuts from the state budget.
“We’re at the place where there’s very little else we can cut,” said Bruce Carney, executive vice chancellor and provost, in an interview. “We will eat into our academic mission with even a small cut (from the state).”
“With a 6.5 (percent) increase in out-of-state tuition, we can partially cover those losses, find some savings outside of the academic mission and still be able to do some new things, some things that have been needed for a long time.”
Carney said last year’s increases did not remedy all of the University’s recent struggles, and a further increase will still not cover all costs, lack of funds or future cuts.
The tuition increase revenue only met one-third of the need to restore courses and sections, Carney said.
