With the State University System’s budget expected to take another multi-million dollar hit in the upcoming legislative session, Gov. Charlie Crist will announce a plan to permit all 11 state universities to charge a new “differential” tuition rate.For more than a decade, the legislature has kept tuition low in order to protect the Bright Futures program, which grants generous scholarships to Florida students who perform well in high school.
Last year, Crist and the Florida Legislature worked out a compromise with public universities that have been lobbying for higher tuition. This led Crist to sign a bill authorizing individual universities to offer a new “differential tuition” that is not covered by Bright Futures.
The 2007 law permitted “Level 1” research universities to institute a differential that went 40 percent beyond the tuition rates set by the annual appropriations bill; “Level 2” research universities could increase by 30 percent. UF, FSU, USF, UCF, and FIU all qualified.
Crist’s new plan will open the way for every state university, regardless of research status, to increase tuition by a 15 percent differential.
FAMU President James Ammons praised Crist’s decision in today’s edition of the St. Petersburg Times, saying: "This has to be a tough decision, but I think he's making it clear that Florida, in spite of these tough economic times, is finding a way to ensure we have a quality higher education system.”
The Florida Legislature generally gives every university the option of increasing tuition by a small, differential rate of approximately 5-10 percent each year that is covered by Bright Futures.
In past years, the FAMU Board of Trustees has voted against implementing such optional hikes on several occasions. Trustees and administrators feared that the increases would hurt the 78 percent of FAMU students who are on need-based financial aid and lead many to drop out of school due to their lack of funds. That, in turn, would adversely affect the university’s retention and graduation rates.
Ammons has not yet announced whether he will recommend that FAMU's trustees implement the new differential tuition hike.
good! All Fla colleges should have this ability.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine for all universities to have this option. But it seems like the state is backing out of its responsibility to provide a reasonable portion of funding for public higher ed.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look like this is really going to help FAMU at all. Is a tuition increase really worth the risk of lowering our overall graduation rate?
WTF does a tuition increase have to do with a lower graduation rate? are u crazy?
ReplyDeleteThis is how the article described it:
ReplyDeleteIn past years, the FAMU Board of Trustees has voted against implementing such optional hikes on several occasions. Trustees and administrators feared that the increases would hurt the 78 percent of FAMU students who are on need-based financial aid and lead many to drop out of school due to their lack of funds. That, in turn, would adversely affect the university’s retention and graduation rates.
At the moment, FAMU currently doesn't have "differential tuition", the ability to raise its own tuition beyond the minimum set by the state like FSU, UF, UCF, & USF has. Gov. Crist is taking about giving schools like FAMU, UNF,FAU this option as long as 30% of the increase is applied toward "need based" financial aid.
ReplyDeleteNo one's debating that FAMU doesn't currently have that differential tuition.
ReplyDeleteThe question is: Will FAMU be shooting itself in the foot by implementing a tuition increase that makes its already cash-straped students drop out of school?
Most FAMU students are on need-based aid. Most of UF, FSU, and USF's students are not. FAMU's students simply don't have the same ability to shell out money as those at other schools.