WEST PLAINS, Mo.– For the first time since 2006, students attending Missouri State University-West Plains during the 2011-2012 academic year will see an increase in their basic tuition.
At their regular meeting today, April 1, in West Plains, members of the Missouri State University Board of Governors approved a resolution from the West Plains campus calling for a 4.9 percent increase in tuition. The increase, which begins with the fall semester, brings the fee up from $102 to $107 per credit hour for Missouri residents. Tuition for out-of-state residents also will go up 4.9 percent from $204 to $214 per credit hour. Tuition is lower for Missouri residents because Missouri State-West Plains is a state-assisted institution, university officials explained.
“We have not increased our general credit hour fee, or what is commonly called tuition, since 2006. We were holding costs down even before the governor mandated it,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said. “During this time, our enrollment increased over 40 percent while our state appropriations were reduced by 12.2 percent, if you count this year’s reduction and the governor’s proposal for the 2011-12 year. With increasing needs and decreasing resources, we simply cannot continue to function unless we raise the cost to students.”
The resolution approved by the board also outlined other fees charged by the university, and several of those saw increases, as well. The fee charged for courses in the Associate of Science in Nursing degree program rose by 4.6 percent, going from $130 per credit hour to $136 per credit hour to reflect a comparable percentage increase to basic tuition. University officials said the increase also covers costs of program improvements and upgrading technology and equipment to better train student nurses. Out-of-state tuition for nursing courses will go from $260 to $272, a 4.6 percent increase.
The cost of taking online courses will go from $102 per credit hour to $122 per credit hour, a 19.6 percent increase. University officials explained online courses cost more to develop, especially in the areas of technology and infrastructure expansion and upgrades to support the growing demand for these type of courses. A committee reviewing the fee increase indicated the $122 fee would be comparable with online fees charged at other Missouri institutions.
The student activity fee will go from $12 each semester to $17 each semester for fall and spring and from $6 to $8.50 for the summer session. The increase, university officials said, is to offset the growing costs of providing more campus activities to more students. The fee covers the cost of student access to the pool and fitness center at the West Plains Civic Center, tickets to events sponsored by the University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department, and organizational support for the student life and development office, which provides and oversees student-related activities on campus. Officials also pointed out the number of student organizations on campus has doubled since the last increase in 2006.
The student activity fee increase is being offset with a reduction to the professional services fee, which is going from $20 to $15 each semester for those students enrolled in six hours or more. University officials explained the professional services program has been adjusted several times over the years by adding new services and lowering the fee. It began with a medical services component and later grew to include counseling and legal services. Since there is a healthy and increasing fund balance in the account, lowering the cost to students for these services was appropriate, they explained.
Students staying in the Grizzly House residence hall will not see an increase in room and board. Those fees will remain the same at $2,558 per semester in 2011-12 for housing and a 20-meal-per-week plan at the Putnam Student Center cafeteria. Summer charges will remain the same at $1,090. University officials said fees were kept the same because current rates support the Grizzly House and Food Services while generating a modest surplus, which is used for equipment and maintenance of the facilities.
Bennett pointed out Missouri State-West Plains isn’t the only two-year institution raising its fees for the 2011-12 academic year. “This modest increase is approximately the same as tuition increases announced by two-year colleges across Missouri,” he stressed. “Even with the increase, the education provided by Missouri State University-West Plains is one of the best bargains a person can find.”