Ball State announced its tuition recommendations on Monday, the next step in the process to setting tuition for the next two years.
The university recommended a 2 percent increase for each of the next two years, after the Indiana Commission for Higher Educations recommended no more than a 2 percent increase to public universities in early May.
It has also announced a public hearing required by state law concerning the university’s tuition on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall at the Alumni Center.
The increase would amount to an additional $180 in 2013-14 and $184 dollars for 2014-15 for a full-time, resident undergraduate student and a total of $9,160 and $9,344 respectively.
“The increased student tuition and mandatory fees, in combination with a modest increase in state appropriations in 2013-14 and no increase in state appropriations in 2014-15 are necessary to fund the university’s operating budget,” the university said in the announcement.
Ball State is coming off a 2.8 percent increase to its budget for the 2013-15 biennium despite a small 0.6 percent dip in its operating appropriations. Ball State had recovered from a slated $11.4 million cut before the state added money to higher education in the budget.
In 2011, the state cut Ball State’s funding by $11.8 million because of poor performance-based outcomes. The university then raised tuition and fees 3.9 percent in 2011-12 and 4.9 percent in 2012-13 despite the commission’s recommendations to raise tuition and fees by no more than 3 percent.
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora said in her President’s Perspective on April 28 that salaries will be a focus in the budgeting process.
“We must balance increases with pressures created by increasing costs in energy, health care and other benefits, along with a commitment to affordability, which will impact our tuition recommendation,” she said of possible tuition adjustments.
The commission adopted policy recommendations in May designed to limit tuition increases and maintain college affordability.
“Indiana lawmakers stepped up this session and invested more than $235 million in additional dollars to support the operations of our colleges and universities over the next two years,” said Teresa Lubbers, Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education. “Now we’re asking our colleges to do their part by limiting their tuition increases to no higher than the rate of inflation.”
Purdue’s Board of Trustees approved a tuition freeze on May 22 and Indiana University announced a 1.75 percent increase in its tuition recommendation on Friday.
