U regents approve tuition increase for Twin Cities students

Updated: 5:30 p.m. | Posted: 4:10 p.m.

Despite protests from some students, tuition will increase at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus.

The U's Board of Regents approved a $3.8 billion budget Friday that will increase resident tuition by 2.5 percent, or $306 per year. Tuition for new students from states without a reciprocity agreement will see an increase of 7.5 percent, or $1,550 per year.

The current undergraduate resident tuition is $12,240 per year. Non-resident, non-reciprocity tuition is $20,660.

The bump will be smaller for current non-resident, non-reciprocity students — 5.5 percent.

University President Eric Kaler said the tuition hikes are due to several factors, including a lack of increased funding from the state Legislature.

"We do not want to place an unfair burden on our students and their families," he said. "I don't like an increase, but given stagnant state support, this fiscal year commitment to excellence through academic and research investments, inflation of key cost drivers and the need to be competitive in compensation we have developed what I believe is a reasonable and prudent approach to tuition."

Kaler stressed that the tuition hikes won't affect resident students at the U's other campuses.

He also pointed out that the budget includes funding to offset the tuition hike for students who come from families that make $120,000 a year or less. As a result, about 10,000 students won't be affected by the increase, according to the university.

The budget also boosts tuition for non-resident, non-reciprocity students at Morris — up 16.8 percent — and the University of Minnesota Duluth up 2.5 percent.

Tuition has climbed steadily for out of state students on the Twin Cities campus since 2011.

It's the biggest resident tuition increase since 2012.

After the opening gavel for the meeting about two dozen protesters, including former and current students, began chanting and walked in front of the board holding signs.

Most of the board left the room as the protesters listed demands, including reducing tuition, asking Kaler to resign, making tuition free for Native American students and asking the U to divest from certain companies, including weapons manufacturers.

Through a megaphone, one of the protesters said, "Students will carry the burden of tuition debt for years to come as it passes on to their families and future families."

Six protesters who refused to leave were arrested. The university said they were cited for unlawful assembly and released.

When the budget came before the board later in the meeting, Regent Michael Hsu proposed an amendment to the budget to reduce resident undergraduate tuition by $205, while increasing tuition for non-resident, non-reciprocity tuition.

"This is perfectly in line with what the president's objectives actually are which is to minimize increases, which is offer a decrease when we can afford to and I believe we can afford to do that," he said. "It's our responsibility to do what we can to find money in our budget, which we've been doing, to lower tuition if we can."

His motion was defeated 8-3.

The tuition hike will go into effect this fall.

After the meeting, board chair Dean Johnson said people have a right to protest, but the board had to move on and the protesters had to be removed.

"It's not good, I don't particularly like it, but we had a lot of work to do. We felt like we had to move forward and take up the day's agenda," he said.

Johnson stressed that the tuition hike won't change tuition for about 10,000 students at the Twin Cities campus. As for the non-resident tuition, he said the tuition hike brings the U from the bottom into the middle of the Big Ten.