Tagged: tuition

The following is a summary of a previously recorded interview. To hear the complete segment, click the audio above.

The amount of international students from China who have enrolled  at Michigan State University is 385 times greater than it was a decade ago.

How does this impact instate students applying to schools like MSU and the University of Michigan? How big of a factor does out-of-state tuition play in an institution's decision to accept more non-Michigan or international students?

Michigan writer Ron French wondered, "is a student from China taking my kid's college slot?" His story appeared in today's issue of Bridge, from the Center for Michigan.

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Michigan colleges are stuck with a bill worth millions of dollars when students with federal grants drop out but keep the cash.

The Detroit Free Press says Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn likely will raise tuition, partly to repay $4.1 million to the federal government. Spokesman Gary Erwin says two-year colleges have been hit "particularly hard."

It was announced yesterday that University of Michigan provost Phil Hanlon will become the next president of Dartmouth College starting July 1, 2013.

Hanlon, 57, is a graduate of Dartmouth and will become the college's 18th president.

In a New York Times piece, Hanlon indicated that university funding, in its current form, is reaching a breaking point:

Dr. Hanlon, who will be the 10th Dartmouth graduate to become its president, said he expected to focus closely on the college’s cost structure and finances. “The historic funding model for higher ed is close to unsustainable,” he said. “We can’t continue superinflationary tuition increases.”

Though expensive, the lifetime return of a college education continues to be unequivocal.

On today's show, University of Michigan Vice Provost Martha Pollack and Michigan State University College of Education Dean Don Heller address the long-term value of a college education.

They both say state funding cuts continue to propel tuition increases.

“Our state funding at University of Michigan on a per student basis has declined by 50%,” said Pollack.

Gov. Rick Snyder and Republicans in the legislature made significant cuts to the state's public university system when they first came into office.

As part of the cuts, they set up bonus payments to schools if they met certain performance measures, and if they kept their tuition increases in check.

Earlier this month, the State House Fiscal Agency  released a breakdown of how much each school will get in bonus payments.

All 15 public universities kept their tuition increases at or below 4 percent, so all 15 schools will receive a 'tuition restraint' bonus payment.

This fiscal year, the pot for 'tuition restraint' bonus money is set at $9.1 million for all 15 universities.

Central Michigan will receive the biggest payment. From the Detroit Free Press:

Central Michigan University's decision to keep its tuition rate increase for this school year lower than that of other state schools is paying off to the tune of almost $1.8 million in extra state aid from a fund set up to reward universities for smaller hikes.

CMU raised its tuition rate by 2%, the lowest in the state. It will get 19.6% of the bonus money.

The top five schools for keeping tuition hikes in check (and their associated bonus payments) are:

1. Central Michigan University -  $1.8 million
2. Ferris State University - $1.3 million
3. UM in Ann Arbor - $1.1 million
4. Lake Superior State - $1.0 million
5. Oakland - $930,000

The Detroit Free Press has a breakdown of tuition increases and bonus payments for all 15 public universities.

Western Michigan University says it's raising tuition 3.9 percent for the coming academic year, reports the AP.

Trustees at the Kalamazoo school approved the increase today. The school says instate freshmen and sophomores will pay $9,982 in tuition and mandatory fees in 2012-13. That's up $376 from the current academic year.

Western Michigan says with the increase, the school is 10th in cost among the 15 Michigan public universities.

Out-of-state freshmen and sophomores will pay $23,262 for the academic year.

The trustees approved an operating budget of $349 million for the 2012-13 year.

Last year, Michigan Radio's Jennifer Guerra reported on public university tuition increases for the 2012-2011 academic year:

• University of Michigan: 6.7% increase for in-state undergraduates, 4.9% for out-of-state students.
• Western Michigan University: 6.6% increase
• Oakland University: 7% increase
• Saginaw Valley State: 6.9% increase
• Lake Superior State University: 6.94% increase
• Michigan Technological University: 6.95% increase
• University of Michigan-Flint: 6.8% increase

This year for in-state undergraduates, tuition has increased by:

• University of Michigan: 2.8 percent
• Saginaw Valley State: 3.9 percent
• Lake Superior State University: 2.98 percent
• Michigan Technological University: 3.9 percent
• University of Michigan-Dearborn: 3.7 percent
• University of Michigan-Flint: 3.6 percent
• Michigan State University: 3.5 percent
• Eastern Michigan University: 3.95 percent

-Elaine Ezekiel, Michigan Radio Newsroom

It’s going to cost the average Michigan State University student $210 more to attend the fall semester.

The MSU Trustees today approved a 3.5 percent tuition increase for next year.  

The increase will be slightly higher for out-of-state students.

Lou Anna Simon is president of MSU. She says no one wants to raise college tuition.

“There are stories about students who are definitely in debt at a higher level than they should be,” Simon told the MSU Board of Trustees before the vote.

Other Michigan public colleges and universities also approved tuition hikes this week, including the University of Michigan and Michigan Tech.