UD Raises Tuition, Fees 7.7 Percent

By Stephanie Irwin Staff Writer

The University of Dayton Board of Trustees on Friday approved tuition and fee hikes that will push the cost of a four-year degree for many students to nearly $135,000. UD undergraduates will pay $33,550 a year in tuition, fees, room and board starting next school year, a 7.7 percent increase from this year.

Base fees for the 2007-08 academic year will increase from $23,970 to $25,970.

The private, Catholic university is among the first universities to set prices for the 2007-08 school year. Public universities usually wait until spring before setting tuition prices. UD will again offer a $500 discount to all returning students to help offset that cost, something the university has done for at least three years. The price increase will help UD provide more financial aid to returning students, hire more tenure-track faculty, improve staff and faculty salaries and pay for student housing upgrades, President Daniel Curran said. Money raised by the tuition increase will pay for:

– $10 million in renovations to Marycrest Hall.

– A $2 million increase in student salaries after the new minimum wage law.

– A 4.9 percent raise in staff and faculty salaries and benefits. Also, 40 percent of the revenue will go toward UD’s financial aid program, with a strong focus on need-based aid. In 2004 — when total annual cost was $26,500 — the average financial aid package for an undergraduate student was $13,532. Trustees on Friday also approved a tuition increases of 4 percent for the school of law, and 6 percent for graduate programs.

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