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Oregon continues tuition freeze By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � Oregon undergraduates heading off to a state university this fall will pay no more tuition than their older siblings dished out four years ago. The state Board of Higher Education voted Friday to continue a tuition freeze for resident undergraduates that has kept tuition rates stable since fall 1996. "Because the students had such large tuition increases in the early �90s, this is helping to bring it back where it should be," said Lynn Paulson, director of budget and planning at Southern Oregon University. During its 1999 session, the state Legislature appropriated funds to the Oregon University System to help keep tuition affordable for Oregonians and improve access to the state�s universities. While resident undergraduate tuition remains on hold, tuition for graduate students and non-resident undergrads this year will increase by 5.25 percent at most of the state�s seven public universities. Student-set fees also are on their way up. Paulson said SOU officials each year must weigh demands for more services against higher costs for students. "We�re very sensitive to that issue, for our students," Paulson said. "We know that every time we raise fees some students may get priced out. ... It�s an ongoing balancing act." SOU remains one of the least expensive universities in the state system. For resident undergraduates, tuition costs $840 a term. Tack on $283 for fees � $45 more than last year � and the per-term total for 2000-2001 is $1,123. Only Western Oregon University�s tuition and fees cost less: $1,114. Attending the University of Oregon, the state�s most expensive campus for resident undergraduates, will cost $1,273 per term this fall. Under the new rate structure, all Oregon University System campuses except Eastern Oregon University will increase non-resident undergraduate rates by 5.25 percent. At SOU, non-resident undergrads will pay $3,505 in tuition and fees each term, an increase of $206 over last year�s rates. It�s still the cheapest rate in the state, aside from Eastern, where resident and non-resident undergrads pay the same rate: $1,129 per term. All the state�s universities will increase graduate tuition by 5.25 percent, except Portland State University, which plans a 3 percent increase. SOU graduate students will pay $1,948 per term if they live in Oregon, or $3,441 if they hail from elsewhere. All SOU students will pay an extra $45 in fees each term this year: Incidental fees, also called student fees, increase by $16.50, for a total of $131; the technology fee rises by $10, totaling $40; and the basic health services fee increases by $3.50, for $72 in all. A $15 health insurance fee will also be assessed. In addition to the standard fees, new SOU students will pay a one-time $35 matriculation fee to offset costs of the One Week Early orientation program. Other new fees include a $333 resource fee for graduate students in SOU�s mental health counseling track and a $167 resource fee for graduate students in the group facilitation training track. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA