The tuition and fee advisory task force came to a consensus Tuesday on a tuition increase proposal that will now be sent to the UNC Board of Trustees.
The task force took all the appropriate steps by listening to and acting upon students’ concerns.
Student leaders, amongst them Student Body President Will Leimenstoll, represented student’ voices well.
The proposed increases affect out-of-state graduate students by increasing their tuition by 6.8 percent — 0.7 percentage points more than the increase for out-of-state undergraduate students.
Out-of-state graduates are taking on more of the burden with this proposal. But out-of-state undergraduates currently pay the highest tuition, and it is not fair to ask them to bear the highest tuition increases.
Prior to these proposals, UNC was on a path toward being disproportionately less accessible for out-of-state undergraduates.
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Bruce Carney mentioned at the committee meeting that the tuition increases will go toward faculty retention and increasing course sections and hours.
Both of these will in turn benefit undergraduate and graduate students alike with top-notch professors and less crowded classrooms.
When tuition increases are on the table, it is undoubtedly difficult to appease all parties.
