Oakland University is raising tuition by more than 8%, one of the biggest increases by a state school this year.
This means Oakland is busting a state-imposed, 3.2% cap on tuition increases.
Because of that, the school gives up about $1 million in state incentives for schools that stay below that cap.
But the tuition hike should bring in $12 million for the school next year, says Oakland University President George Hynd.
“Ninety percent of that will be redirected back into advisers, to counselors in our mental health clinic, to new faculty – we’ll be hiring 11 new faculty out of those resources,” says Hynd.
“We’ll be increasing our retention programs and reaching out to make sure we continue to have access for students that need financial aid and want to have a quality education at Oakland University.”
But he says the school is also being squeezed on two fronts; one, enrollment has been growing in recent years, so the school is trying to serve more students.
Yet Hynd says state funding is down below 2009 levels, with Oakland getting about $2,896 per full-time student this last year.
Compared with other public schools in Michigan, that’s on the low end. Schools like Michigan Tech and Wayne State received closer to $7,000 and $8,000 in state funding per full-time student.
