By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
New freshmen at Bowling Green State University will see an increase in fees when they submit their first payment to the bursar.
During Thursday’s meeting, the BGSU Trustees talked about the university’s recovery from COVID, adopted a $421 million budget, and approved a 2.5% raise for classified and administrative staff.
As for student fees, the trustees approved a 0.95% increase per year to in-state, undergraduate instructional and general fees for incoming freshmen.
That increase equates to $19.10 per credit hour.
Students not covered by BGSU’s tuition guarantee, including fourth and fifth year students and part-time students, will see a 2% increase to the in-state undergraduate instruction and general fee – an increase of $9.20 a credit hour.
BGSU President Rodney Rogers said the university takes any fee hikes very seriously, “making sure we are affordable and a great value.”
First introduced in 2017, the Falcon Tuition Guarantee provides all undergraduate, first-time students the certainty that their tuition and fees will not increase over four academic years.
“As a public university for the public good, BGSU continuously strives to make higher education affordable for each student,” Rogers said. “Even with the small increase to our incoming students only, the Falcon Tuition Guarantee ensures they will not see an increase during their four years at the university. BGSU works to remain an education of great value, and with the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, we are the lowest cost of any selective, public university in Ohio.”
Trustees voted to not increase the out-of-state surcharge for undergraduate and graduate instruction fees.
Historically, the university reviews and considers adjustments to undergraduate and graduate instructional and general fees, and out-of-state surcharges, on an annual basis.
Tuition, general fees and out-of-state surcharges provide the greatest portion of resources to the university’s operating budgets.
The most recent increase to in-state undergraduate tuition and general fees, for non-tuition guarantee plans, occurred in fall of 2020 while the most recent increase to graduate tuition rates occurred in fall of 2018.
The total per semester proposed increase for a full-time, in-state undergraduate at the Bowling Green campus would go from $5,505.60 in FY 2021 to $5,616.00 in FY 2022 – an increase of $110.40.
The annual, incremental revenue to the Bowling Green campus to be generated by a 2% increase is $547,000. This increase will affect approximately 2,110 full-time fifth year students as well as part-time, eCampus or Distance & Extended Campus undergraduate students.
For incoming freshmen, the 0.95% increase to in-state, undergraduate instructional and general fees, or 3.8% for the four year guarantee plan, equates to an increase of $19.10/credit hour or $229.20 per semester for full-time students.
This rate increase would provide annual, incremental revenue of $1.3 million to the Bowling Green campus for the fall freshmen.
