Tuition increase approved for 90,000 college students

Students at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond will likely see their tuition rise starting this fall.

The University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a 10 percent tuition hike at all nine of its campuses. Before the increase can take effect, though, it also has to be approved by the state Board of Regents higher education policy board.

The UL System is the largest college and university system in Louisiana with 90,000 students at the University of New Orleans, ULL, Southeastern and six other campuses around the state.

The move comes just days after Gov. Bobby Jindal released a $24.7 billion state budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Jindal’s budget relies on $75 million in tuition increases to help offset about $209 million in cuts from Louisiana’s colleges, universities and hospitals.

Edwin Litolff, the UL System’s assistant vice president for budget and finance, said the average increase for in-state students will be $546, bringing a year’s tuition to about $6,103, or 81 percent of the $7,390 Southern regional average.

More at http://theadvocate.com/home/5292229-125/tuition-increase-approved-for-90000 .