Dive Summary:
- Florida's House of Representatives wants a 6% tuition increase at state universities and colleges despite the move being opposed by Gov. Rick Scott and the state Senate's decision not to back such a move.
- The tuition proposal will be included with budget documents released by the state House appropriations subcommittees later this week, and House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel says the tuition hike is necessary to meet the schools' financial needs and ensure they don't fall behind their peers nationally.
- The proposed hike is also being justified by Florida's relatively low tuition rates compared to the rest of the nation--despite having one of the steepest increases in the nation of 67% over the past five years, Florida's average annual cost is well below the national average of $8,655 at $6,232.
From the article:
... The House’s tuition hike will put the chamber on another collision course with governor, who has been adamant about keeping tuition low. Scott has been promoting a $10,000 degree program for the state colleges and advanced a bill for this session that would guarantee university students no tuition increases if they graduated in four years. ...