Although Michigan universities face huge funding cuts from the state, this rate hike has been years in the making. The change will affect a few thousand undergraduates studying at Western’s business school and school of fine arts.
Haworth College of Business Dean Kay Palan says Juniors and Seniors studying at the school will pay an extra $40 per credit hour beginning next fall. “It’s always with a little bit of hesitation that we ask students to pay more,” Palin said. But Palan says they’ve been working with students, staff, and alumni on the tuition increase for the past year and a half.
“They know that if we’re going to maintain our ability to provide a high quality education that it might cost a little bit more.”
Most of the extra tuition at the business school will pay to hire more academic advisors, maintain programs, and bring on more teachers to keep class size small.
All students at Western’s College of Fine Arts will pay an extra $50 a credit hour, but will encounter fewer fees. Meanwhile, Governor Snyder is proposing a 15% cut in state funding to all public universities in Michigan.
