UNF Board of Trustees Approves Tuition Increases

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The University of North Florida Board of Trustees has approved tuition increases beginning in the fall semester to offset losses in state appropriations.

The board, meeting via conference call Thursday, authorized in-state undergraduate tuition rates to be raised an additional 8.5 percent as mandated by the Legislature. The board also approved a 15 percent tuition increase for in-state graduate students. Out-of-state students will pay 15.2 percent more for undergraduate courses and 17.2 percent for graduate courses.

For full-time (15 credit hours) in-state undergraduate students, which constitute nearly 70 percent of UNF’s enrollment, the increase will add about $150 per year to their tuition bills. For full-time (9 credit hours) in-state graduate students, the increase amounts to about $400 per year.

When adding fees, the total cost of attending UNF for an undergraduate in-state student will increase from $2,756 to $2,904 per year. Even with this increase. Florida in-state rates continue to be among the lowest in the nation. Tuition pays for only about one-quarter of the cost of educating a student in Florida.

The tuition increase is expected to generate about $2 million in additional revenue for UNF. By comparison, UNF experienced a $1.4 million cut in general revenues as appropriated by the Legislature. To help offset the impact of the tuition increase on students, more than $200,000 of the new revenue will be devoted to increased financial aid.

UNF Interim President A. David Kline said it was with great reluctance that he recommended the tuition increases but said recent legislative cutbacks gave the University little choice in order to maintain the same quality of education offered at UNF. For the first time in more than a decade, UNF will not increase its student enrollment next Fall because of the lack of enrollment growth funding from the Legislature this year.

The board action increases per credit hour charges as follows:

Student/ Current/ New/ Increase/ Percent increase

In-state undergraduate/$58.45/$63.41/ $4.96/ 8.5%

In-state graduate/ $147.35/$169.22/ $21.87/15%

Out-of-state undergrad/$285.27/$328.74/ $43.47/ 15.2%

Out-of-state graduate/ $434.31/ $509.08/ $65.15/17.2%

In other action, the board also approved increases in parking in most categories. The board approved the recommendation of the Parking Committee for a 12 percent increase in parking decals for this fiscal year. The increase was needed primarily to meet the debt service for the existing parking garages and to anticipate revenue needed for the construction of new garages.

The general parking rate will go up $13 per year to $118 annually. This covers more than 90 percent of all University parking permit holders. However, bargain hunters can get an annual economy parking decal for $15, a reduction of 50 percent from the previous year, which allows them to park in two lots outside the campus core.

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