Western Michigan University undergraduate students will pay an average of $474 more in tuition for the next academic year. The university’s trustees approved tuition rates for the fall during their board meeting Thursday.
The new state budget limits tuition increases for universities in Michigan at 3.8% or $475 whichever is greater. Schools that do not stay within those limits risk losing additional funding, including money for capital projects.
A Michigan resident enrolled full time in the fall as a freshman or sophomore at Western would pay $450 from last year. Juniors and seniors would pay $475 more than they did a year ago. The new tuition rates for Western’s undergraduate students amount to a 3.91% increase.
Trustees also extended Western Michigan University's current budget. The new fiscal year begins July first, but Vice President for Business and Finance Jan Vander Kley says compensation for many employee groups has to be determined before the budget can be finalized. She says a major piece of the puzzle is the contract with Western’s faculty. It’s due to expire September sixth.
Vander Kley says if a contract agreement with the professors is reached, trustees could consider a new budget at their meeting in September. Otherwise, she says another extension may be needed.
