State System Tuition up $436

The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education voted today to increase in-state full-time tuition rates for new students by 7.5%. The moves come less than 24 hours after the PA House approved a $27.15 Billion budget for 2011-2012 that cut spending for the State System by $90 million or about 18%.

“As we said at our budget hearings in both the House and Senate earlier this year, we will not ask our students to bear the entire burden of the budget cuts we are facing,” said PASSHE Chancellor Dr. John Cavanaugh. “The tuition increase approved by the Board today will fall significantly short of the funding we need to replace what we lost. Above all, we must keep tuition affordable for our students and their families.”

The new annual tuition rate for full-time, resident undergraduate students beginning this fall will be $6,240. The 14 State System schools host nearly 120,000 students. Among the schools are California University of PA, Indiana University of PA, and Slippery Rock University.