Pitt Board Committee Says No Tuition Surcharge

The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees’ Budget Committee has approved a budget that does not include a spring tuition surcharge. The committee’s $1.73 billion operating budget for the 2010 fiscal year still must be approved by the full board and is contingent upon the governor signing the recently passed appropriations for State Related Universities. Pitt’s share of that pot comes in at $185.4 million. Previously the university had announced no tuition increase at satellite campuses, a 4% increase for in-state main-campus students and a 2.5% increase for out-of-state students at the main campus. Following the committee vote Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg noted the tuition and surcharge decisions saying, “We at Pitt are particularly mindful of the difficulties faced by our students and their families during this challenging period of economic stress nationwide and especially in Pennsylvania.” The head of the Budget Committee noted that had the state passed its budget in July the university would have already received $75 million from the state. The school has been pulling from its reserves to fill that gap.

Also this morning, the budget committee set a capital budget of $179 million, including $86.2 million from the Commonwealth.