The Board of Trustees raised tuition at Ball State by about 4 percent for in-state students, remaining within a guideline set by Gov. Joe Kernan in March.
Indiana residents who enrolled at Ball State before the summer of 2003 will pay $2,356 per semester, an increase of $90. Hoosiers who enrolled after that time will see their bills increase by $110 to $2,876.
Kernan's guideline, however, only applied to in-state tuition, and out-of-state students will see their tuition rise by 7 percent to $6,926 if they applied before summer 2003. Those who applied after that date will pay $7,464.
The technology fee rose from $136 to $141, and undergraduate and graduate distance learning fees rose to $184 and $192, respectively.
Other schools in Indiana also seem to be following the governor's request. For example, at Indiana University, the school's Board of Trustees recently increased tuition by 4 percent.
The request came when Kernan sent letters to all seven public universities in the state asking them to cap tuition increases at 4 percent. At the time, Board President Tom DeWeese called the request "100 percent reasonable."
Kernan made his request after a tuition cap bill by Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, died on the Senate floor. The bill would have capped tuition increases at 4 percent.
This year's increases in tuition are among the lowest since 2000 for in-state students, who saw an increase of almost $200 in 2002 and $106 in 2003.
DeWeese said he would like to see the trend continue, and he said increasing enrollment at Ball State could be key. If more students are paying tuition dollars, he said, the Board will have less costs to cover.
"There's a point there where you can add more kids and cost the same," DeWeese said.
However, DeWeese did say enrollment numbers for next year, although preliminary, appear troubling.
"They look like they're going to be down," DeWeese said.
He said he wants to wait to see for sure, but comparing numbers this year to numbers from last year, DeWeese sees a drop.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
