The South Dakota Board of Regents approved a hike in tuition and fee of 4.4 percent or $335 in the state's six public universities for the 2013-14 academic year.

As a result, in-state undergraduate full time students taking 30 credit hours will be paying just more than $7,900 (an increase of $335) for tuition and fees or $1.40 per credit hour.

"Our priority remains the affordability of a quality college education for our students. Given the level of budget support we received in this year's legislative session, I am pleased to say we could limit this year's increase." Regents President Kathryn Johnson said.

"We know that students have issues with money and there's never enough money to go to college and to live and take care of themselves," the university's financial aid advisor, Vikki Van Hull, said.

Hull said that scholarships amounts are also increasing. The amount went up to over $100,000 last year and federal student aid such as Pell Grants will also help in overcoming students' financial problems.

Luke Williams, a freshman mechanical engineering major at University Center in Sioux Falls, said that the prices in South Dakota's universities are reasonable compared to colleges and universities in neighbouring states.

The revised costs for tuition are:

- Northern State University: $7,563, an increase of $294 or 4 percent.

- Black Hills State University (BHSU): $8,338, an increase of $297 or 4.1 percent.

- Dakota State University: $8,338.80, an increase, an increase of $338 or 4.2 percent.

- School of Mines and Technology: $9,083, an increase of $624.64 or 7.4 percent.

- South Dakota State University: $7,713, an increase of $309 or 4.2 percent.

- University of South Dakota: $8,022, an increase of $318 or 4.1 percent.

Last year, tuition and fees were hiked by 6.5 percent at Mines, and 5.2 percent at BHSU.

The tuition and fee was raised because of a 3 percent salary hike and an additional 3.5 percent increase for employees who are below the midpoint of their salary range.

In addition, the board needs $1.4 million from tuition and fees to cover inflation costs and an additional $4.2 million to source a salary package and health care benefits for employees.