University officials consider tuition and fee increases in US

The cost of a college education in Nevada is about to go up. The Board of Regents will be voting in June on a proposal to schedule a four year series of four percent increases. Next year’s $8 dollar hike would take next year’s tuition for a resident undergraduate to $199,25 per credit. By the 2018-2019 school year it would rise to $224. The increases were outlined at an informational hearing Tuesday afternoon at the UNR campus. Chancellor Dan Klaich told students Nevada’s System of Higher Education has been highly ranked for delivering value for cost, but he said the increases would be necessary to maintain that value. He added, however, that the state’s universities stepped up and took some big hits in recent years as the state suffered through the recession. Now, he said, it was time for the state to step up and invest in its education system. He noted the state’s narrowly based tax system was designed in the 1950′s. The students who will be paying the higher fees are only now learning about them and there are concerns. “My main concern is how much debt will I be in by the time that I graduate due to these increases,” says sophomore psychology major Allen Johnson. Noelle Blanco, a junior studying research psychology says many students are still unaware of the planned hikes and the impact they will have. She knows what it will mean for her. “I’m on financial aid as well as many scholarships, at least five, and grants. And I’m still struggling to pay. And that’s also with me working full time and taking 18 units a semester.” $8 dollars a credit doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up after awhile,” says sophomore Matt Vallet. “It’s a big strain.” Source: Education News