In-state tuition up $433 at CSU; $298 at CSU-Pueblo
Tuition flat at CSU-Global Campus
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System today voted to approved budget and tuition proposals from the system’s campuses – CSU, CSU-Pueblo and the CSU-Global Campus – for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The FY2016 operating budgets for each unit are as follows:
- CSU – $1.05 billion, compared to $1 billion for FY2015
- CSU-Global Campus – $73.1 million, compared to $61.6 million for FY2015
- CSU-Pueblo – $47.5 million, compared to $45.1 million for FY2015 (includes Education and General portion only)
- CSU System Office – $5.5 million, compare to $5.43 million for FY2015
“Sustained public support for higher education from Colorado lawmakers means CSU System institutions will continue to make investments in quality and excellence and hold tuition increases to remarkably modest levels,” said Tony Frank, chancellor of the CSU System and president of CSU. “At CSU, it translates into more than 40 new faculty positions this coming year with a tuition increase of just 5.5 percent. The budget approved today reflects CSU’s commitment to delivering value for our students and the state by focusing on academics, controlling expenses and investing in talent.”
For the second consecutive year, state lawmakers have directed $100 million into Colorado’s higher education system, which will deliver $12.7 million in additional state dollars to the CSU System for the coming fiscal year. Even with the increased support, state funding at CSU is only about 10 percent of the university budget and remains below pre-recession levels. Private gifts and donations are on pace to once again reach record levels for CSU and to exceed state funding.
Resident undergraduate tuition at CSU will be $8,301 in FY2016, a $433 increase over the previous year. That remains below proposed in-state tuition rates at peer institutions such as Michigan State, University of California-Davis, Purdue, Washington State, Virginia Tech and the University of Illinois. For a Colorado comparison, resident undergraduate tuition at CU-Boulder for FY2016 will be $9,312.
“When it comes to accessing a world-class education at one of the nation’s top research institutions, CSU continues to be one of the best values for students and families in Colorado and across the nation,” Frank said. “This year’s budget includes more than $2.5 million in new financial aid and scholarship support for students, which will help us continue to keep student debt levels at CSU well below the national average.”
Resident undergraduate tuition at CSU-Pueblo will be $5,486 for FY2016, an increase of $298 from the previous fiscal year. The per-credit-hour undergraduate tuition rate at CSU-Global Campus, which receives no state funding, will remain unchanged for the fourth consecutive year at a maximum of $449.
“Even without state funding, CSU-Global Campus is committed to making a degree affordable and attainable,” said Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of CSU-Global Campus. “As a 100 percent online university catering to nontraditional students, we’ve developed a model with a guaranteed tuition rate that allows us to provide students with an unmatched level of certainty about the financial resources that will be required to achieve their higher education goals.”
Student fees at CSU will be $2,133 next year, up 10 percent or $194 from the previous year, and student fees at CSU-Pueblo will be $1,698 for FY2016, a 5.5 percent increase of $90. These fees are approved by the student governments of each campus to help fund a range of specific services, such as student recreation, the student health network, and facilities. CSU-Global Campus, which is a 100 percent online university, does not charge student fees.
“CSU-Pueblo’s budget is in good shape and additional state resources will create opportunities for investing in the campus so that we can continue to enhance and bolster academic programs and the student experience,” CSU-Pueblo President Lesley Di Mare said. “We will continue to work with our sister institutions of the CSU System to seek operational efficiencies so that we’re able to direct more resources toward CSU-Pueblo’s important mission of teaching, research and service in southern Colorado.”
CSU System
The Board of Governors of the CSU System has nine voting members, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate, and six non-voting members who are faculty and student representatives from CSU, CSU-Pueblo and the CSU-Global Campus. The board provides oversight to ensure effective management, accountability and leadership at all the CSU System universities – Fort Collins, Pueblo and the online Global Campus.
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