Board raises tuition, fees

In-state up 5.2%, out-of-state up 6.75%

Kevan Maciver / graphics editor

Undergraduate tuition will increase 5.2 percent for in-state students and 6.75 percent for out-of-state students as of the 2004-'05 school year, the Board of Visitors decided Monday.

The total costs for tuition, student fees and room and board for in-state students living on campus will increase from $10,794 to $11,356. The same costs for out-of-state students living on campus will increase from $19,016 to $20,300.

Costs for commuter students will increase from $5,058 to $5,476 for in-state students and from $13,280 to $14,420 for out-of-state students.

Increases in room and board will be the same for in and out-of-state students — an increase from $5,736 to $5,880.

Student fees will increase equally for both in-state and non-Virginia students from the current amount of $2,638 to $2,724.

Graduate student tuition also will increase from $201 to $226 per credit hour for in-state students and $605 to $660 per credit hour for out-of-state students.

Board member Charles H. Grover Jr. said these increases were necessary to combat the rising costs of salaries, facilities management and insurances.

Charles King, senior vice president of finance, said other cost issues included annualizing the December 2003 salary increase initiated by the state legislature, financially adjusting the base salaries of faculty receiving promotions, a 14 percent increase in health insurance costs and offering more financial aid to students.

The room and board increase primarily is due to contractual increases in ARAMARK's fees as the on-campus dining provider, according to King. He also said the increase in fees allows the university to continue to pay for student services such as University Recreation, athletics and transit.

With the state legislature 100 days into a 60-day session, the university still does not have its biannual budget.

Without a finalized state budget, the board could not properly address financial issues at the meeting on Monday, according to President Linwood Rose.

“While we do not yet have a budget, we should not be disappointed because we know that next year's [budget] will be better than last year's,” Rose said.

Students shared differing reactions to the tuition increases.

“I'm not OK with [the increase], but I understand why they have to do it — because [JMU] doesn't receive enough money due to the state budgeting situation,” said junior Stuart Shoup, an in-state student.

Junior Rob Ranieri, an out-of-state student, said, “The fact that tuition increases more for out-of-state students than in-state students is [unfair] because we are all receiving the same education.”

While tuition increases may seem excessive, JMU ranks 11th highest in the state for tuition costs and is ranked behind Virginia Military Institute, the College of William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia for tuition costs.

“While the increase in tuition will be a challenge for the budgets of many of the students, we're still going to be paying less than many other universities of similar quality,” said sophomore Shane Symolon, an out-of-state student.

Ranieri said he would approve of the increased tuition at the benefit of his professors. “I do agree that increased salaries for professors are a good idea,” he said. “Most of my professors are amazing, and truly work hard to prepare us for the future.”

According to King, U. Va., Va. Tech and VCU all are set to increase tuition for the 2004-'05 academic year.

Assistant vice president for budgeting David Eton said that the Va. Tech board approved a “max level increase,” but has yet to break those figures down between tuition, room and board and student fees. Eton said that in-state students attending Va. Tech should see a $883 total increase for the coming academic year. Non-Virginia students at Va. Tech will experience a total cost increase of $1,844.