USC undergraduate and graduate students will face a 5.9 percent tuition increase taking effect July 1, after the 2008-2009 budget proposal was made public by the Board of Trustees executive committee on Wednesday, June 18.
In-state undergraduate students will pay an additional $492 in tuition and fees per year, making their tuition rise to $8,438 per year.
Non-residential tuition for undergraduates will rise from $21,232 to $22,504 per year. The new tuition and fee increase will cost non-residential undergraduate students $1,272.
Graduate students will also pay an increase, with in-state graduate tuition totaling $4,718 a semester, an increase of $274 from the 2007-2008 school year, and non-residential graduate tuition totaling $10,168 per semester up $578.
The proposed tuition increase is a result of a $4.3 million state-funded budget cut and a rise in costs across the board encompassing inflation, insurance and utility plus a one percent state-mandated pay raise for all staff.
"We are in a period of inflation," President Andrew Sorenson said. "There is a 2.68 percent decrease in state revenue on the Columbia campus. Our utility bill alone has increased by $1 million."
President Sorenson said the Board of Trustees has tried to be conservative concerning the increase.
"Although we are pleased that this budget will enable the university to maintain the quality that our students have come to expect in recent years, we are clearly mindful that even the smallest increases can work a hardship on students and their families," Sorenson said.
Some students disagree with the tuition increase. Alex Stroman, a second-year political science student and student government senator, said the university's board of trustees must be more considerate of Gamecock families' economic struggles.
"I ask why does my tuition continue to increase? Tuition since the 2004-2005 school year has increased by 50 percent. When does it stop? The university in their budgeting process should look at how Gamecock families look at their own budgets and conserve," Stroman said.
Rick Kelly, the vice president and chief financial officer, said the Board of Trustees tried to look for cost-saving and creative solutions in the face of state funding cuts.
"Our leaders responded with a thoughtful budget process that responds to university needs and addresses strategic priorities," Kelly said.
The proposed tuition and activity fee increases are expected to generate approximately $11.5 million to sustain the void of the lacking $4.3 million and also to support the implementation of new university initiatives.
These initiatives include law enforcement, fuel budget adjustments, student affairs and academic support programs and faculty excellence and global competitiveness initiatives.
Student Body President Andrew Gaeckle said the board tried to be considerate of families' situations.
"Parents and students are defiantly feeling the burden of added costs," Gaeckle said. "These costs come with the huge inflation of energy prices, the climbing cost of operating a university and the national demand for excellence among institutions of higher education. With these needs the university had held back in the wake of this difficult economic time, but must maintain and support the pursuit of excellence at the University of South Carolina."
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