At its early morning business meeting Friday (April 13), West Virginia Universitys Board of Governors approved tuition and fee increases for WVU , WVU Institute of Technology and Potomac State College of WVU .
At WVU , the panel approved an increase of $123 per semester, or 5.5 percent, for resident undergraduates, and $380, or 5.49 percent, for nonresident undergraduatesbringing tuition to $2,361 and $7,300 per semester, respectively.
For resident graduate students, the increase is $135 per semester, or 5.48 percent, and for nonresident graduate students the increase is $393, or 5.48 percentbringing tuition to $2,598 and $7,532 per semester, respectively.
Health Sciences undergraduate increases are also in that range5.5 percent for residents, or $147, and 5.3 percent, or $445, for nonresidents. Graduate increases in health sciences range from $175, or 5.94 percent, for resident graduates in general programs to $283, or 6.32 percent, for a resident in the Pharm D program.
Residence hall rates on the Morgantown campus will increase by an average of 6.5 percent.
At Potomac State, an increase of $61, or 4.93 percent, for residents and $147, or 3.64 percent, for nonresidents will go into effect for associate and bachelors degree students.
The metro fee will increase by $147, or 6.76 percent. A new lab fee structure will also go into effect, ranging from $20-$60, rather than the current $40. Meal and snack options will allow for more flexibility in the residence halls, and the new residence hall under construction will have slightly higher rates.
For undergraduate resident students at WVU Tech, a $120 increase, or 5.51 percent, was approved. The increase is $308, or 5.5 percent for nonresidents. Engineering and nursing students will pay 6-7 percent higher rates. Increases for nonresident graduate students range from 5.5 to 6.1 percent depending on the discipline. Residence hall rates will also increase to reflect improvements being made at the halls, which had deteriorated.
Tuition and fee increases at the three campuses will continue to support master plan projects and operational expenses such as faculty and staff salaries, utility and PEIA increases, officials said.
The WVU and Potomac State requests will be forwarded to the Higher Education Policy Commission for information, while WVU Techs request will require HEPC approval at its April 26 meeting.
Tuition and fee increases at WVU at Parkersburg and the Community and Technical College of WVU Tech were approved last month.
State Budget
David Miller, executive officer for government and community relations, told the Board the $3.7 billion general revenue state budget signed into law by Gov. Joe Manchin includes additional money for higher education, including WVU .
WVU and its regional campuses received approximately $6.8 million to support salary and operating increases, Miller noted, and $1 million for the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute. In addition, the WVU Institute of Technology received $3.2 million to upgrade its engineering labs and classrooms.
The higher education budget for the state also indirectly benefits WVU by committing an additional $10 million toward research initiatives, $8 million for the higher education grant programs and $800,000 for the PROMISE Scholarship program, he added.
Miller thanked Gov. Joe Manchin and Chancellor Brian Noland, along with legislative leaders forone of the best budget years in recent history.
The Board also approved:
- establishment of a West Virginia Alzheimers Disease registry, a central database of information to assist in the development of public policy and planning
- a $13 million renovation/expansion project at the southeast corner of the Engineering Sciences building for research labs, classrooms and offices to accommodate a 50 percent growth in students over the past 5 years.
- a $1.1 million expansion of the Coliseum Academic Study Center from private donations
- lease-purchase of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity House on North High Street, at a cost of $1.2 million from the national foundation, for use as a fraternity or sorority rental or campus expansion
- a bachelors of multidisciplinary studies degree
- a doctor of nursing practice degree
- WVU Institute of Technologys transition plan to become a fully integrated division of WVU , per state code, by July 1, 2007
The Boards June1 meeting will be held in Charleston.