MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- The Middle Tennessee State University Board of Trustees will consider a proposal to increase undergraduate in-state tuition and mandatory fees at its June 18 meeting.
If tuition increased, the costs would go from $3,690 to $3,777. The increase adds up to $87. The mandatory fees which are currently $913 would be increased to $935, a $22 change. Both represent an increase of just under 2.5%.
• Explanation for the Proposed Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increase:
Tuition, along with state appropriations, supports 93% of the costs of education and general operations of the University. The 2.36% proposed increase will help fund salary increases and cover inflationary costs associated with providing a quality education. It will also help support new academic programs, several student success initiatives and experiential learning opportunities for students.
Mandatory fees support a variety of student services and operational functions provided by the University. The proposed increases relate to fees to support the following areas: Parking Services (including shuttle buses), the Campus Recreation Center, Student Health Services, and Athletics. On November 28, 2018, the Executive Committee of the Student Government Association met and approved the proposed mandatory fee increases.
• Purposes for Which Revenue Derived from the Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increase Will be Used:
The proposed tuition increase will fund faculty and staff salary increases, inflationary cost increases for supplies and operations, scholarships, and various new academic programs, student success initiatives and experiential learning opportunities for students.
Parking Services, Campus Recreation, and Health Services are auxiliary operations and are self-supporting units. The proposed increase in mandatory fees will cover inflationary costs of providing services to students for these operations, salaries and benefits for the staff, and any improvements to the facilities.
The proposed Athletics increase will support future capital projects. A $30 increase was approved in fiscal year 2017-18 as a two-year phased-in fee. This is the second year.
The Tuition Transparency and Accountability Act (T.C.A. §§ 49-7-1601, et. seq.) requires boards of public universities to give public notice of proposed increases to tuition and mandatory fees charged to in-state undergraduate students at least 15 days prior to holding a public meeting to adopt the increases. Individuals are permitted to provide comments during the 15-day period.
The public comment period will run from May 30 to June 13 at 4:30 p.m. CDT.
To submit a comment, go to: https://mtsu.edu/boardoftrustees/tuition-proposal.php.