Room, board up $1,000-plus since 2006-07; officials anticipate 200-student enrollment drop

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Students living in Central Michigan University’s residence halls next year will pay, on average, an additional 2.3 percent for room and board.

Trustees approved a 2.5 percent increase in the standard room and board rate with an unlimited meal plan, which equates to $8,092, a $196 increase, for the 2010-11 academic year. That is $1,268 more than students paid for room and board with a 19-meal-per-week plan in 2006-07, an 18.6 percent increase.

Students with an unlimited meal plan in Campbell, Kesseler, Kulhavi, Celani and Fabiano residence halls in the next academic year will pay an additional $226. The cost of on-campus apartments will not change.

The plan takes into account an average 2 percent increase in staff wages, a 5 percent increase in staff benefits and an estimated 4 percent increase in food costs.

David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services, told trustees the increase is in anticipation of a projected 200-student decline in enrollment next year.

He said the money will help the university fulfill its contractual and obligated costs and maintain the capital replenishment fund to keep residence facilities in good condition.

He noted a freeze in the utilities fund for residence life.

“We’re not asking for additional utilities support for residential life; we think that’s a major positive statement to this campus,” Burdette said.

Trustee Gail Torreano questioned what percentage of students use the unlimited meal plan and whether the university has noticed more students dropping out in recent years as costs have risen.

“Usually, in the beginning of the fall, we’ll have a majority of students in the top two meal plans; in the second semester, there will be a shift toward some of the lower meal plans as they establish meal patterns and their class schedules and other activities,” said John Fisher, associate vice president of Residence and Auxiliary Services. “Generally speaking, it’s about 70 percent at the top two meal plans and 30 percent in the third and fourth (level) meal plans.”

Burdette said the retention level of students who come to CMU and live in residence halls is high.

Trustees at Western Michigan University approved a 4 percent hike to room and board costs on Wednesday — bringing its unlimited meal plan to $8,095. The increase will apply only to students living on campus for the first time next year.

Trustees at Michigan State University will review a proposed 5.1 percent increase in room and board costs at a meeting today.

Graduate Students and ProfEd

Graduate students at Central Michigan University will see a 5 percent tuition increase next year if they are from the state of Michigan.

Roger Coles, interim dean of the College of Graduate Studies, said one of the reasons only in-state students face the increase is because out-of-state graduate students already pay $766 per credit hour in tuition this year compared to the $434 per credit hour students from Michigan pay. That number will change to $456 next year.

“Last year, (all other public universities in Michigan) raised out-of-state tuition, except Central,” Cole said.

He said despite the change, CMU’s graduate class remain among the lowest tuition costs for Michigan students out of the 15 public universities.

The change also means doctoral students will pay $525 a credit hour next year, compared to the $508 a credit hour they are paying now.

Cole said there are currently 1,837 graduate students at CMU — 1,452 of whom are from Michigan.

Students paying for classes through ProfEd also will see a tuition increase for any classes starting on or after Aug. 16.

Tuition will increase 3 percent for standard undergraduate programs, to $348 per credit hour from $338.

Graduate program tuition also will increase 3 percent, to $459 per credit hour from $446.