N.C. State increases 2010-11 tuition
N.C. State University will increase tuition by an additional $750 for the 2010-11 academic year to help offset state budget cuts of almost $20 million.
The university had raised tuition by $150 for in-state undergraduate students and $200 for all other students. The total tuition increase will be $900 for in-state undergraduates and $950 for all other students.
“The need is immediate and the options are few,” N.C. State Chancellor Randy Woodson said. “This is the second consecutive year of deep budget cuts. With generous state support, North Carolina universities have historically held their tuition as low as possible while providing a quality education. But low tuition without quality is no bargain and without this tuition increase, academic quality will continue to erode.”
The new state budget takes $99 million from universities. In the last three years, the state’s universities have taken a budget cut of $575 million. This year, the state legislature gave universities the option of raising tuition by as much as $750. Budget projections indicate NC State could lose up to 200 course sections and 6,500 classroom seats without the tuition increase.
“At some point, we have to stop the erosion or risk long-term damage to one of the state’s greatest assets: its higher education system,” Woodson said. “But even a tuition increase of this size is no silver bullet. NC State will still see about a $3 million shortfall.”
NC State will use the tuition increase to restore some of the classroom seats and course sections lost in recent budget cuts, and support faculty and research that have consistently contributed to North Carolina’s economic development, the chancellor said. Consistent with its historical mission, NC State will set aside 20 percent of the tuition increase to support need-based financial aid.
“Our promise is to continue to protect the academic core and do all we can to ensure students have the opportunity to make steady progress toward graduation,” Woodson said.
“On the other side of the equation, we will continue to be strong partners with the state in job creation and economic development to help ensure that there will be jobs available for North Carolina’s college graduates.”
A systemwide tuition increase of this magnitude is not unprecedented. Recessions in the last 30 years have produced tuition increases of more than 19 percent five times, including a 24.7 percent increase in 2003.
Here are the tuition figures for fall:
- Undergraduate in-state: $4,853
- Undergraduate out-of-state: $17,388
- Graduate in-state: $5,358
- Graduate out-of-state: $17,406
Even with the increase, NC State’s tuition is second lowest on the university’s list of 16 peers, which includes Maryland, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. NC State has been named a national “best value” by Kiplinger’s, US News and Princeton Review. The best value rankings are based on quality and affordability.
– NCSU News Services
