WCU board approves tuition hike
The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees approved a schedule of tuition and fees for the 2015-16 academic year that includes a 3 percent increase in tuition for students from North Carolina.
The proposal, unanimously approved by the board at its regular quarterly meeting Dec. 5, would mean a $110 annual increase in tuition for in-state undergraduate students.
The trustees also recommended an additional 3 percent increase in tuition for in-state students for 2016-17, meeting new instructions from the University of North Carolina Board of Governors that all UNC campuses submit tuition and fee proposals covering the next two academic years. The amount of the tuition increase for 2016-17 would be $114 for undergraduate students.
The proposed schedule of tuition and fees must be approved by the UNC Board of Governors and the N.C. General Assembly.
Funds generated by the tuition increase would be used to address salary issues as part of the university’s efforts to retain faculty and staff; add additional classes in the high-demand, high-growth areas of chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs; and provide support for student services and programming.
In addition to changes in tuition, the board approved an 8.11 percent increase in existing and new mandatory fees, or $232 per year, for undergraduates for 2015-16. Fee changes include an increase of 6.10 percent (or $42 per year) in the athletics fee to support personnel expenses and scholarships for student-athletes, and a 23.89 percent hike ($54 per year) in the undergraduate book rental fee to help defray the rising costs of print and electronic textbooks and supplemental materials.
