By: Farhin Lilywala

On Tuesday, April 14, the Georgia Board of Regents approved a plan for tuition increases for all 30 public colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia.

The board also approved 22 mandatory fee increases at various institutions, including commuter-dining fees at Kennesaw State, Georgia Gwinnett and the College of Coastal Georgia.

According to the USG, tuition has increased consistently for four years by at least 2.5 percent at most schools, and a large number of students will pay at least three percent more.

System officials said campus presidents requested the increases to reduce class sizes, retain and recruit high-quality faculty, fund higher-level degrees, improve technology and cover ongoing operating expenses.

Students at the four research institutions will see semester increases of $221 at Georgia Regents University; $223 at Georgia State; $387 at UGA and $405 at Georgia Tech.

According to the AJC, USG officials reported that the increases are necessary at these colleges, namely research institutions, so that they can stay competitive with similar schools across the country, and because the demand is high for those institutions.

“I understand how hard it is to pay your tuition every semester. When I went to school I paid my way through and I remember those tough days,” said University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “We hope to be able to level off (tuition costs) very significantly over the next few years. At the same time we’re working hard to bring attention and resources to needs-based financial aid because those students are really stressed.”

The USG institutions with a tuition increase of 2.5 percent are:

• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
• Albany State University
• Armstrong Atlantic State University
• Bainbridge State College
• Clayton State University
• College of Coastal Georgia
• Columbus State University
• Dalton State College
• Darton State College
• East Georgia State College
• Fort Valley State University
• Georgia Highlands College
• Georgia Perimeter College
• Georgia Southern University
• Georgia Southwestern State University
• Gordon State College
• Savannah State University
• South Georgia State College
• University of West Georgia
• Valdosta State University

Rates for the 10 USG institutions with varying tuition percentage increases are:

• Atlanta Metropolitan State College – 9.0 percent
• Georgia Institute of Technology – 9.0 percent
• Middle Georgia State University – 9.0 percent
• University of Georgia – 9.0 percent
• Georgia Gwinnett College – 8.3 percent
• Georgia Regents University – 5.5 percent
• Georgia State University – 5.5 percent
• University of North Georgia – 5.0 percent
• Kennesaw State University – 4.4 percent
• Georgia College & State University – 3.0 percent

Sources: University System of Georgia and AJC

Spring 2015 The Collegian collegian news tuition increases USG