University administrators announced a $50 increase to the Racer Experience fee during Thursday’s Budget Town Hall meeting.
The fee, which helps fund campus life, currently is $100 per semester and will increase to $150. This fee adjustment will not apply to those taking dual credit courses, online courses or high school students enrolled in on-campus classes.
Jackie Dudley, senior vice president of finance and administrative services, said tuition will increase in addition to a $50 increase in the Racer Experience Fee. For undergraduate programs, the tuition rate will increase by 1.98%, and for graduate programs, it will increase by 3%.
“When you look at these increases, they really feed into gross tuition, which was a big part of our budget,” Dudley said. “However, the discounts have to come off, and so for every dollar we take down the first tuition, we discount by 40 cents on top.”
Housing rates will increase by 4.75 percent and dining rates by 5.2 percent. Dudley said these rates are still comparable among other institutions.
Don Robertson, vice president of student affairs, said the University will use telehealth counseling in the next fiscal year as part of a University-wide push to promote mental health and well-being among students.
This pilot program will allow students to meet with a counselor virtually and make assistance more accessible to those needing it outside of University hours.
Students can schedule online meetings with a counselor and choose to continue meeting with that same counselor. Students can also access counseling across all 50 states, 24/7.
Robertson said the University has worked to improve campus life with renovations in the Curris Center, dining enhancements and hopes to provide more student space.
