SALEM — Salem State University students will pay anywhere from $500 to $1,000 more next year to go to school.
The Board of Trustees unanimously voted a 6.9 percent increase in undergraduate fees/tuition in anticipation of no increase in state funds and the end of federal stimulus money.
"The preliminary figures we have from the state in the amount of support we're getting is going to leave a considerable shortfall in what we consider at this point a bare-bones budget," said Jacob Segal, the trustee chairman. "It just became necessary to go to that level in order to make up some of that shortfall."
For the roughly 2,000 students who live in residence halls and dine at the college, annual costs will climb from $17,550 to about $18,550. In addition to fees, they will pay more for room and board.
The majority of the university's 5,700 undergraduates — in other words, the commuting students — will pay $500 more in tuition and fees. Their bill for the year will jump from $7,230 to $7,730.
Continuing education and graduate student also will face fee hikes of $60 and $75 per course, respectively.
A Salem State spokesman said the trustees took this action earlier than usual so students will have time to prepare for the increased costs in the 2011-12 school year.
Technically, tuition at the state universities is not increasing. That cost is controlled by the Board of Higher Education, which has not hiked tuitions in about a decade.
The Salem State Board of Trustees voted the fee increase at its meeting Wednesday night. It was a difficult and reluctant step, Segal said, but it was also unavoidable, which was reflected in the board's rare unanimous vote.
"Everybody recognized the need and didn't see any choice at this point," he said.
Salem State received $34.9 million from the state this year, and has been allocated slightly less than that in the governor's budget for next year. A final state budget for fiscal year 2012 has not been approved.
"We're building our budget, for the moment, on the assumption the final state support level will reflect the governor's proposal," said Andrew Soll, vice president of finance and facilities.
The trustees' decision to hike student fees will generate about $2.2 million more next year, Soll said. Those funds and other steps, officials said, will be needed to offset rising costs in Salem State's $95 million operational budget.
Some of the fee increase will be returned in student aid, Segal said.
This is the second year in a row Salem State has hiked fees. For the current year, fees went up $380.
Although most trustee boards have not yet voted, a Salem State spokesman said he expects the 6.9 increase will fall in the middle of the increases approved by the state's nine public universities.
The Salem News was unable to reach a student government spokesman.
State university fees
A comparison of fees for full-time, undergraduate students who are Massachusetts residents; 2010-2011 school year.
Salem State$6,320 *
Bridgewater State$6,143
Fitchburg State$6,344
Framingham State$6,095
Westfield State$6,461
Worcester State $6,185
* $6,820 next school year. Most other universities in the system have not yet voted on next year's fees.
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