Dive Brief:
- The Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday approved the fourth consecutive tuition hike for the state's colleges and universities.
- The rates at which tuition will rise range from 2.5% for 20 schools in the state's university system to as much as 9% for Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Atlanta Metropolitan College, and Middle Georgia State College, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Reasons given for the hikes include a need for resources to allow smaller class sizes, faculty retention and recruitment efforts, and operations costs.
Dive Insight:
Interestingly enough, the hikes — which are expected to bring in around $80 million — follow an $81 million increase in state funding, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As the paper points out, this 50-50 funding distribution is a far cry from the model that existed years ago, under which tuition only accounted for 25% of an institution's funding.
This isn't only a Georgia issue, though. Changes in funding distributions have led to tuition hikes at institutions nationwide over the last several years, with states placing a larger burden on the backs of students and their families. Ballooning student loan debt has further served to draw attention to the issue.
Additionally, Georgia's new hikes were accompanied by 22% fee increases at some universities.