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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 28, 2004 State caps university tuition boost Southern Oregon University resident undergrads taking more than 12 units will see a savings By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune As part of a state plan to help keep college affordable, Southern Oregon University tuition increases will be capped at 15 percent for the coming school year. Undergraduates from Oregon will see a tuition increase limited to 15 percent more than what was charged for the same amount of credits during the spring 2004 term. SOU had adopted a tuition schedule that included increases of up to 28 percent for some students. Concerned by steep increases at universities around Oregon, the state Board of Higher Education imposed the 15 percent cap for state universities at its meeting July 15-16 in Portland. To help make up for the funds lost to capping, the board provided each university with a share of $1.1 million that was saved during a reorganization of the Oregon University System’s chancellor’s office this spring. SOU had mapped out tuition increases for the 2004-05 school year to help maintain programs without layoffs as state funding shrank. The plan eliminated a "tuition plateau" in place for many decades that allowed full-time students to pay the same amount for taking 12 to 16 credits. Students have to earn an average of 15 credits a term to graduate in four years and usually earn four credits for each class they take, explained Provost Earl Potter. Advertisement SOU’s planned increases had called for full-time students taking 12 credits to pay $1,172, up 12 percent from the $1,046 charged this spring, while students taking 16 credits would have paid $1,332, up 27 percent, said Craig Morris, the university’s director of business services. Under the capped plan, tuition for students taking 12 credits will remain at $1,172, but students taking 16 credits will pay only 15 percent more than this spring, or $1,203, he said. "It’s a nice savings for those taking a higher credit load," he said. The tuition limits will shrink SOU’s budget for the coming school year by about $450,000, Morris said. The state has provided $260,000 to mitigate the cap’s effect. School officials expect to sort through the budget in the next few weeks looking for an additional $190,000 worth of cuts. "We’re unsure where the rest will come from," Morris said. A planned tuition increase for non-resident students will go forward unchanged by the cap. The cap also doesn’t affect tuition for graduate students, officials said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times