From the building boom to tuition costs, increase is a trend Belmont students are getting used to.
Undergraduate tuition for the 2012-13 academic year will be $24,900, a 4.75 percent increase from the 2011-2012 tuition.
This percentage of increase — which comes to $1,130 for the next year — is the lowest in several academic years. Last year’s bump was 5.5 percent.
“Like public and private institutions everywhere, we are facing the reality of rising cost,” President Bob Fisher said in a letter sent to the students.
The initial announcement of the increase came in the spring session of the “Ask Dr. Fisher” convocation in January.
In addition to the higher tuition, similar increases will come for housing, meal plans and fees for the 2012-2013 school year.
Using Belmont’s cost estimator, undergraduates entering in August will pay $17,575 a semester for tuition, base student fees fees, housing and meal plans, a total of $35,150 for the year.
According to College Board, a site that maintains current costs for universities nationwide, the average (tuition only) cost of attending a private university is $28,500. Belmont’s tuition and base student fees of $26,130, is slightly below the average.
Undergraduates are not the only Belmont students feeling the pinch of tuition increases. All of Belmont’s graduate programs will see some type of tuition increase, including a $640 increase from the 2011-2012 cost of 16,000 for the law program.
In his letter to the students, Fisher listed the reason for increase in room, board and fees were due to the rising costs of living.
“During every budget cycle, we diligently budget how to best utilize university resources to both control cost and aspire for greatness,” Fisher said.