The Board of Trustees voted on March 2 to increase overall tuition at the University of Oregon, support differential tuition for the Lindquist College of Business and reduce differential tuition for the Clarks Honors College.
Tuition will increase $6 per credit hour for in-state students and $18 per credit hour for out-of-state students.
The increase was recommended by the Tuition and Fees Advisory Board, supported by President Schill and passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees.
If that sounds confusing, the tuition changes are estimated to apply to a 16-credit course load for three terms.
So, if an in-state student took a full course load over the course of one year, they would be paying $270 more in tuition annually. If an out-of-state student took a full course load, they would be paying $810 more tuition annually.
The increase will go to fund tenure-track faculty, faculty and staff benefits, and $2 million in strategic investments going toward hiring faculty, according to UO spokesperson Tobin Klinger.
The estimated revenue from the increase is approximately $1.4 million annually. President Michael Schill wants to allocate 20 percent of that, or $280,000, towards need-based financial aid.
There will also be an increase of $7 for all students to fund improvements in the health and counseling center.
Differential tuition
At the Board of Trustees meeting, the board also voted, in a nearly unanimous vote, to support differential tuition for the business school and reduce the differential tuition for the Clarks Honors College. Differential tuition is tuition that is more than standard tuition at the university.
The business school tuition will increase by $20 per credit hour. Of the increased tuition, 20 percent will be allocated to financial aid within the school.
Differential tuition is common among Pac-12 schools and according to Schill, it allows UO to remain competitive.
The Clarks Honors College tuition will decrease 35.6 percent from $4,194 per year, to $2,700 per year.
The current honors college tuition is among the highest rates in the country, and reducing its tuition is aimed to make the CHC more accessible and competitive.
Budget shortfalls
According to Schill, the increase in tuition will not be enough to support the budget, creating a budget shortfall totaling 2.8 million.
The university needs renovations to classrooms, technology and lab upgrades and books for the library that will not be funded by the tuition increase.
These increases are causing upset among students. Following the vote’s passing, a student shouted “shame on you” to Schill, and left the meeting in a crowd of students chanting “fuck Michael Schill.”
Several students gave testimonials during the meeting on their personal experiences with tuition. One student, Caroline Crisp, said, “I feel robbed by the University of Oregon.”
But faculty members are upset about tuition as well.
“The university is not doing a good job in promoting economic diversity in its students,” Bill Harbaugh, professor of economics, said.