PASSHE Increases Tuition Fee of State-Owned Universities by 3%

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) has decided to increase the tuition fees of all 14 state-owned universities by 3 per cent for the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Board of Governors of the PASSHE approved to hike the tuition fee assuring that the increase will be low and below the inflation rate in exchange for the state level funding. Accordingly, the fee has been increased by $188 per year making it below the average fees collected in Middle States region.

"This action demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our students and their families, and to the Commonwealth," said PASSHE Board of Governors Chairman Guido M. Pichini in a press release.

"PASSHE universities will continue to offer high-quality education at the most affordable cost possible," he added.

The tuition hike is applicable to undergraduate students who are doing full-time courses in any of the 14 PASSHE universities and are residents of Pennsylvania. The board has also approved hike in tuition fees for full time resident graduates and all non-resident students. While a resident graduate student has to pay $429 per credit, which is an increase of $13, the non-resident graduate students need to pay $644 per credit, an increase by $20.

Nonresident students doing full-time undergraduate courses will have to spend from $9,642 to $16,070 as fees based on the kind of programs that they enroll for. Moreover, full-time resident students should pay $358 for the full academic year and full-time nonresident students have to pay $542, which is an increase by $16.

"We are grateful to the Legislature and Governor Corbett for their support in the recently passed state budget, which enabled us to make this decision," Mr. Pichini said.

"To consistently keep tuition increases to a minimum, as PASSHE has, requires both state support as well as tremendous efforts on behalf of the universities to control their costs through what have been extremely challenging fiscal times."

According to PASSHE reports, more than 120,000 students are studying in these universities, out of which 90% are residents of Pennsylvania with 85% doing full-time courses. The universities offer several undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in different areas of study for the students.