Tuition to rise for USF students

The trustees' executive committee agrees on the increases, which must be approved by the full board to take effect.

By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 13, 2002

TAMPA -- All 37,500 students at the University of South Florida will pay more for college next year, with graduate and out-of-state students expected to be hardest hit.

Undergraduate students would pay 5 percent more under USF's proposed tuition increase, while graduate students would pay 10 percent more and out-of-state students 20 percent more.

The Legislature mandated increases for all 11 state universities in Florida but allowed each school limited discretion to raise tuition even more.

The USF board of trustees' executive committee approved the increase Wednesday, following similar decisions by most other universities in Florida. The entire board still must sign off on the increases.

USF plans to use much of the money generated from the additional tuition for scholarships.

"In order for us to get the best and the brightest, we have to have more money," said Dick Beard, board chairman.

Trustees used the same rationale used by state and university officials for years: Florida's tuition rate is among the cheapest in the nation, and that even after another increase in tuition it still won't cover what it actually costs the state to educate a student.

"I don't agree with the whole increase," said Mike Griffin, USF student body president and board member.

"But we need to be paying more because it is a great bargain to be here."

USF has about 10,000 graduate students. About 2,000 students are from outside Florida.

In May, the Legislature approved increases of 5 percent for university students and 3 percent for community college students. It's the seventh straight increase for Florida universities.

Under USF's proposal, in-state students would pay $58.45 a credit hour for undergraduate classes and $147.67 a credit hour for graduate classes.

Out-of-state students, whose tuition includes in-state costs, would pay $361.45 a credit hour for undergraduate classes and $616.88 for graduate classes.

The rates do not include additional university fees or other costs, such as books or campus housing.

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