IUS Plans New Fee, Higher Tuition

Indiana University Southeast is planning to raise total costs more thanthe state's Commission for Higher Education has recommended, but school officials say the increase is justified.The commission has recommended that IUS keep tuition increases at or under 2.5 percent for the next two years. Technically, tuition will remain under that amount, but IUS students will face a new rehabilitation and repair fee that will be used to maintain the campus. Given that, the total cost of attending IUS will go up about 3.3 percent next year."The annual tuition will be $5,800 approximately for [fiscal year 2012]," says Vice Chancellor Dana Wavle. "Students will also have to pay a student activity fee and a technology fee. When you add that all together, it's about $6,300. Add another $60 for the R&R and we're at $6,365."That's still less than the University of Louisville's tuition, which will increase 6% next year. Wavle says the higher tuition and the new fee are necessary to offset cuts from the state government."Traditionally R&R was funded with state dollars. We would have state-funded R&R. As part of this year's budget, that was eliminated, in addition to $870,000 in state dollars. So we're really dealing with two things here," he says.Indiana public universities are not required to follow the Commission for Higher Education's recommendations on tuition increases.