To preserve academic quality, UA adjusts tuition for fall

06/15/2011

Undergraduates who take 12 to 16 credit hours will see tuition increase $298 for the coming academic year, following a vote by the University's Board of Trustees today. The increase will help preserve the quality of Akron's instructional programs and student services.

To enhance financial accessibility, Akron will increase its scholarship fund by 3.5 percent to $37.6 million. Another $700,000 will be set aside to assist returning undergraduates who have demonstrated academic excellence.

"We are always reluctant to increase tuition," said Provost W. Michael "Mike" Sherman. "But the increase is necessary to sustain the excellence of both our academic programs and the services that provide a vibrant campus experience for students."

Despite an increase of 29 percent in the number of students served in recent years, UA has been able to minimize increases in tuition and fees through a number of cost-containment actions, including collaborative initiatives, operating efficiencies, changes to employees' health care plan and lower energy consumption. These efforts will increase, while at the same time the state has cut funding to UA by $15 million.

Already, Cleveland State, Bowling Green, Wright State and the University of Cincinnati have raised tuition 3.5 percent for the coming academic year, and recommendations for similar increases are being considered at the University of Toledo, Miami University, Ohio University and Youngstown State.

With the increase, UA's undergraduate tuition and fees will remain in the middle tier of Ohio's 13 public universities.

In related action, UA's Trustees today approved recommendations to increase graduate tuition by 3.5 percent and law tuition by 6.5 percent.


Media contact: Laura M. Massie, 330-972-6476 or massie1@uakron.edu