Tuition and fees increase $200 per semester
July 6, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- The Western Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved a tuition and fee increase of slightly more than $200 per semester over last fall's rates. The action, taken at the board's July 6 meeting, is effective with the start of the fall 2001 semester.
"It is important that we continue to be a university of choice, and one way we can do that is by keeping tuition at the lowest possible rate so that capable students, regardless of circumstance, have access to this top-100 public university," WMU President Elson S. Floyd told the board. "This year, it will be more difficult than in the past to maintain our affordability, due to the reduced state revenues and our increased operating costs."
The trustees' approval of the rate increase is based on an anticipated increase of state funding of approximately 1.5 percent for the coming academic year, compared to an increase of 6.3 percent in 2000-01. State support accounts for 55 percent of WMU's operating budget.
The new tuition and fee schedule means that for the fall semester of the 2001-02 academic year, a full-time, in-state freshman student will pay approximately $2,250 in tuition and fees for the state average course load of 15 credit hours. This is a $203 increase over the fall 2000-01 semester tuition and fee rate of $2,047.
"We are proud of the fact that our tuition and fees will continue to be the second lowest of the state's four major research universities, and that our tuition increases over the past few years have been among the state's lowest--even when compared to non-research universities," remarked Floyd. He also noted that for those students who will be most impacted by the new tuition rate, the University will continue its practice of ensuring that additional financial aid funds are available.
In a related action, the board approved an increase of $20 per credit hour for the differential fee students in the University's continuing education programs pay to meet the expenses incurred in off-campus education. The new hourly differential fee beginning with the fall 2001 semester will be $60 per credit hour.
Media contact: Matt Kurz, 616 387-8400, matt.kurz@wmich.edu