UNC’s tuition-setting process not universal

The national trend toward higher tuition is virtually universal, but the methods used to get there are anything but.

The process for setting tuition increases varies across different public university systems. Some schools, for example, propose tuition increases based on specific majors.

In the UNC system, students are charged differently depending on which campus they attend. Each campus proposes its own tuition and fee increases.

A UNC-CH committee recently proposed increasing tuition for out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students by $1,630, or 6.1 and 6.8 percent, respectively.

Despite these increases, UNC-CH still ranks among the lowest of its peer institutions in out-of-state undergraduate tuition.

Joni Worthington, spokeswoman for the system, said in an email that campuses propose out-of-state tuition rates based on internal needs.

“Combined rates for nonresident undergraduates are to be market driven, and campuses are expected to submit rates that reflect the full cost of providing out-of-state students with a quality education,” she said.

The system’s Board of Governors mandates a different approach for in-state undergraduate tuition, requiring campuses to propose rates that remain in the bottom quartile of their peer institutions and do not exceed increases of 6.5 percent.

A $600 increase for in-state undergraduates has already been approved for the 2013-14 year.

The University of Michigan-Ann-Arbor, one of UNC-CH’s peers, raised out-of-state undergraduate tuition by a larger percentage than in-state undergraduate tuition for 2012-13.

Rick Fitzgerald, associate director for public affairs at the university, said the extra revenue helped provide financial aid programs for out-of-state students.

At UM-Ann-Arbor, students’ majors — such as in the business school — also affect their tuition rates.

“In some specialty schools where the cost of education is higher due to the specialized nature of the education, the price of tuition may be incrementally higher,” Fitzgerald said.

Dianne Klein, spokeswoman for the University of California system, said the system does not set differential tuition rates for campuses.

“Working against the idea is that it would create division and essentially label one campus as ‘better’ than another,” Klein said in an email. “It also raises the question of fairness and subjectivity. The only reason, really, that the issue has been raised is because it would generate revenue.”

Klein also said the system cap on enrolling nonresidents, currently set at 10 percent, might increase due to state funding cuts. UNC-CH has an 18 percent cap on out-of-state enrollment.

“We think it’s important to have good diversity in the student body mix,” Klein said.

“Because we have such overwhelming demand (for admission), it’s about trying to determine what is the right level and balance that out with statistical concerns and the future of state funding.”

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