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Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com NEWS

‘U’ community reflects 
on rising tuition, fees

The 
University 
of 
Michigan Board of Regents 
approved a series of tuition 
and 
room-and-board 
increases at their June 20 
meeting. 
The 
headline 
of 
the 
University’s press release 
emphasizes the 1.9 percent 
in-state 
undergraduate 
tuition increase is the lowest 
in six years, with a lower-
division rate of $15,588, $296 
more than last year. Lower-
division refers to students 
who’ve completed 0 to 54 
credits towards their degree. 
In the same sentence, the 
release notes an 11.2 percent 
increase in the financial aid 
budget to offset the increases 
in tuition, bringing total 
funding allocated for need-
based aid to $228.6 million. 
This means most in-state 
students 
receiving 
need-
based aid will not pay more 
in tuition costs this coming 
year, the release explained. 
At 
the 
June 
Regents 
meeting, University Provost 
Martin Philbert provided 
data to show University 
tuition costs are the lowest or 
among the lowest compared 
to other public institutions 
for families making up to 
$110K.
University 
President 
Mark 
Schlissel 
also 
emphasized his commitment 
to affordability, particularly 
for in-state students. 
“By investing in academic 
excellence 
and 
our 
commitment to affordability, 
we 
are 
ensuring 
that 
Michigan 
residents 
who 
need it most will see no 
increase in their tuition cost 
as they study at a world-class 
public research university,” 
Schlissel said. 
Out-of-state undergraduate 
tuition 
will 
increase 
by 
3.7 percent, an increase of 
$1850 to bring total tuition 
to $51,200. Graduate tuition 
is set to increase 3.2 percent, 
a $762 increase for in-state 
students and a $1526 increase 
for out-of-state students. 
There will also be a 

four percent increase for 
on-campus room-and-board 
rates, which the release 
said will go towards future 
renovations and preserving 
improvements in recently-
renovated 
buildings. 
According to the release, 
eight residence halls are in 
need of “major upgrades.”
Additionally, 
the 
University is introducing 
a $500 per term fee for 
international students on 
F and J type visas “to help 
cover the cost of sustaining 
and 
enhancing 
services 
to support this important 
student 
segment.” 
These 
include 
costs 
associated 
with regulation compliance, 
which the release said now 
requires more staff time and 
expertise as they become 
more complicated. 
“It will take some time 
to determine the specific 
ways in which the funding 
generated by the fee will be 
utilized,” the release said. 
Prior to this fee, there was 
no difference in tuition costs 
between out-of-state and 
international students. The 
fee will put the University 
“in alignment” with other 
universities with additional 
fees or greater tuition costs 
for international students, 
the press release stated.
In the press release, the 
University said it will cover 
the international student fee 
for Ph.D. students, graduate 
student 
instructors 
and 
graduate 
student 
staff 
assistants.
While presenting at the 
June 
meeting, 
Philbert 
explained tuition would be 
$6400 without endowment 
support. 
As 
of 
October 
2018, 
the 
University 
of 
Michigan 
has 
an 
endowment of $11.9 billion, 
“the ninth largest among 
U.S. universities and third 
among public universities 
after 
two 
university 
systems.” 
According 
to 
the University, about 22 
percent, or $2.5 billion, of 
the endowment is used for 
student scholarships and 
fellowships. 

CLAIRE HAO
Summer News Editor

Students, faculty examine campus 
affordability following decision 
to increase costs for 2018-19 year

Read more at michigandaily.com

‘U’ free tuition 
program finds 
new company 

University of Texas 
Austin releases program 
similar to University’s 
Go Blue Guarantee

Last week, the University of Texas 
at Austin announced full tuition 
support for students from families 
making 
less 
than 
$65,000 
and 
guaranteed financial aid for students 
from families making up to $125,000 
who have financial need beginning 
in fall 2020. 
This new support will expand 
upon UT Austin’s Texas Advance 
Commitment, developed in 2018 
to cover the full price of tuition 
for students from families earning 
$30,000 or less and offer assured 
support for students from families 
earning up to $100,000. The new 
program will also make the Texas 
Advance Commitment available to 
transfer students. 
In UT Austin’s press release, UT 
Austin President Gregory L. Fenves 
thanked Kevin Eltife, Board of 
Regents chairman, for prioritizing 
students and investing in Texas’s 
future, calling college affordability 
one of the most critical issues 
affecting Texans. 
“Thanks to (Eltife’s) leadership 
and the board’s action, this new 
endowment will go a long way toward 
making our university affordable for 
talented Texas students from every 
background and region,” Fenves said. 
The expansion of UT Austin’s 
Texas Advance Commitment has 
drawn comparisons to the University 
of Michigan’s Go Blue Guarantee, 
implemented in 2018. Like the new 
Texas Advance Commitment, the 
Go Blue Guarantee promises to help 
pay the full price of tuition and fees 
for undergraduate students from 
families making less than $65,000. 
Both programs work by covering 
the remaining cost of tuition after 
factoring in the student’s other 
sources of tuition funding, grants 
and scholarships. 
In an email to The Daily, J.B. 
Bird, UT Austin Director of Media 
Relations and Newsroom, confirmed 
UT Austin looked at tuition support 
programs at institutions across the 
nation, including Michigan. 

CLAIRE HAO
Summer News Editor

Read more at michigandaily.com

DESIGN BY ALEC COHEN

