Board raises summer tuition

The cost for undergraduate in-state students will be raised to $110 per credit hour from $80 per credit hour during the summer term. The cost for undergraduate out-of-state students will increase to $390 per credit hour from $350 per credit hour.

Graduate school tuition also will increase this summer. For in-state students, tuition will raise to $216 per credit hour, from $179. Out-of-state rates will increase to $650 from $575.

“Summer school tuition is set in January and the 2005-’06 tuition will be approved by the Board of Visitors at their April meeting,” Charlie King, vice president of administration and finance, said. “Recommendations on 2005-’06 tuition have not been determined at this time.

Tuition was raised to cover the cost of teaching summer classes, with the faculty salaries, stipends and fixed costs throughout the summer, according to associate budget director Diane Stamp.

“Summer school tuition is needed to cover salary (3 percent) increases for the faculty and staff, health insurance cost, operational cost that the state expects the university to cover and cost associated with summer school,” King said.

“Currently, our in-state tuition is the lowest in the state, and out-of-state tuition is next to last,” King said. “The increases that were just approved by the Board of Visitors will only slightly move us up in the rankings.”

Sophomore Kristen Maher said, “I understand that out-of-state students have to pay more money because JMU is [a] state-funded university. The part that bothers me is how big the difference is between the out-of-state and in-state tuition.

JMU spokesman Andy Perrine said, “Traditionally, JMU has been very affordable, so when we raise the price, we still are considered a deal.”