PROVIDENCE – Tuition at the University of Massachusetts will increase 2.5% for in-state students to $14,722 in the 2019-2020 academic year, the state university system announced Friday. The increase will increase tuition by an average of $359 per in-state student.
UMass Dartmouth, UMass Amherst and UMass Boston will see increases for out-of-state students of 3% on average, while UMass Lowell out-of-state students will see a 2% average increase. The UMass board of trustees voted to approve the rate increases Friday.
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The increase is separate from rates at the UMass Medical School in Worcester, Mass.
The tuition hike is tied to the rate of inflation, UMass said. The school system noted that the rate increase lagged behind the average rate increase for higher education in New England and the rate of inflation for higher education at large. For instance, UMass Dartmouth said that tuition inflation in flagship state universities in New England saw tuition increases of 3.7%.
“We take seriously our responsibility to maintain affordability for students and ensure budget transparency for all university stakeholders,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Rob Manning. “We commend President [Marty] Meehan, the chancellors and their teams for containing costs in the building of this budget and for providing the board with data and financial reporting that supports their strategic management of the university.”
UMass Dartmouth undergraduate tuition will cost $13,833 for the average in-state student, $18,981 for a regional undergraduate and $29,578 for out-of-state undergraduates. Graduate tuition prices at the school are an average of $16,390, $20,885 and $29,579 for in-state, regional and out-of-state students, respectively.
Regional rates are for participants in the New England Regional Student Program which allows students from other New England states to receive tuition benefits to a UMass school program if a similar program is not available in their home state, allowing them to pay tuition at a reduced rate from that paid by other out-of-state students.
UMass Amherst had the highest tuition rates of all four schools involved in the approved rate hike Friday at $15,791 for in-state undergraduates, $28,175 for regional undergraduates and $35,112 for out-of-state undergraduate students.
The UMass fiscal 2020 operating budget is projected to be $3.5 billion, a 4.3% increase over the year from fiscal 2019, UMass noted. The Massachusetts state legislature allocated UMass $558 million in the state fiscal 2020 budget, a 1% increase year over year, factoring in for collectively bargained salary increases for university employees.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. You may reach him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.