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PASSHE Board of Governors Approves 2013-14 Tuition Rates

The increase still puts the cost of attendance at MU below the national average.

The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) approved a $194 tuition increase for the 2013-14 academic year—$97 per semester—virtually ensuring PASSHE will remain the lowest-cost option among all four-year colleges and universities in the Commonwealth.

The three percent increase also means the total cost of attendance at Millersville and other PASSHE universities—including tuition, fees, room and board—likely will remain below the national average among all public colleges and universities in the United States and significantly below the average in the Middle States region, which comprises Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

“It is very important to our students and their families that we keep our tuition affordable,” said Board of Governors Chairman Guido M. Pichini. “With this action, PASSHE universities will continue to provide outstanding value, combining high-quality educational opportunities with the most affordable cost available.”

The new annual tuition rate for full-time, resident undergraduate students attending Millersville University and the other 13 PASSHE universities beginning this fall will be $3,311 per semester, or $6,622 for the full academic year. Nearly 90 percent of PASSHE students are Pennsylvania residents and about 85 percent attend full time.

PASSHE will receive $412.8 million in state funding this year, the same amount it received in 2012-13. That will cover about one-fourth of the operating costs of the 14 PASSHE universities.

Those costs are expected to increase in several areas, including salaries, pension contributions, healthcare and utilities. Some of those increases will be offset by the impact of a voluntary retirement incentive program offered to PASSHE faculty and coaches earlier this year.

Other cost-reduction efforts implemented over the last 10 years have resulted in overall budget reductions of approximately $285 million. Those reductions have helped keep annual tuition increases at or below the rate of inflation in most years since the cost-cutting efforts began.

The board also approved new tuition rates for resident graduate students and all nonresident students. The resident graduate tuition rate in 2013-14 will be $442 per credit, an increase of $13. Nonresident graduate tuition will increase by $19 per credit to $663. Full-time, undergraduate tuition for nonresident students will range from $9,934 to $16,556, depending on a variety of factors, including the university and program in which a student enrolls. All the increases average approximately three percent.

The tuition technology fee will increase by $5 to $184 per semester for full-time resident undergraduate students and by $8 to $279 a semester for full-time nonresident undergraduate students. All funds raised by the technology fee are used to directly benefit student learning.

 

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