Trustees approve tuition, health fee hikes at FAU
August 4. 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
Most students at Boca Raton-based Florida Atlantic University will be paying higher tuition when the new academic term starts later this year.
FAU’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to hike tuition for graduate in-state students and undergraduate out-of-state students by 6 percent. A similar hike for undergraduate in-state students – approved by the state legislature and now being implemented at FAU – is also 6 percent, said university spokeswoman Kristine McGrath.
Graduate out-of-state students “will not be affected,” she said.
The increases come at a time when FAU is still reeling from a total budget cut of some $18 million in its 2007-2008 fiscal year budget. The school has met the cutbacks through some layoffs, a hiring free and a reduction in some programs and services.
The 6 percent increase in graduate tuition is $12.63 per credit hour, or $151.56 per semester for a student taking 12 credit hours. The hike for undergraduate out-of-state tuition is $29.30 per credit hour, or $351.60 per semester for students with the same course load.
Dr. Kenneth Jessell, vice president for finance, said the tuition increases will bring in a total of $1.4 million in additional revenue. He said graduate in-state tuition was hiked 5 percent in the 2007-2008 year, the same percentage as undergraduate in-state tuition. “There were no increases in out-of-state tuition at either the graduate or undergraduate level in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.”
In addition, trustees Wednesday voted to raise the student health fee from $6.33 to $7.50 per credit hour.
Cathie Wallace, director of student health services, said a consultant team from the American College Health Association, conducted a program evaluation and site visit last fall. In its report, the ACHA cited a need to expand health and counseling services on the Boca campus and satellite sites.
The new health fee will go into effect with the 2008-2009 academic year, Wallace said, and will generate additional revenue of $649,102. This, she said, “will be used to assure that no cuts in the current level of services would be required, and to expand services.
She said a clinic will open on the Davie campus this summer, and the Treasure Coast campus will contract for part time, off-campus licensed mental health counseling service.
Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.
| 
