CSU students: Expect a 5% tuition hike next year

Colorado State University students can expect to pay another 5 percent in tuition next year. Probably.

The CSU Board of Governors, which determines budgets for the Fort Collins campus and its other affiliates, approved on Tuesday university system spending for next fiscal year, based on its expectations of the state budget.

However, the Legislature is still tussling over that final budget mark heading into its May 10 adjournment.

The 5 percent tuition hike would apply to in-state undergraduate students and would hit the cap on annual tuition hikes being contemplated by the Legislature. It would translate to an additional $436 for two 12-credit semesters, bringing annual full-time tuition into $9,152, according to CSU documents.

The CSU System’s budget will be revisited if the Legislature changes the chunk of money it plans to send to higher education next year. A 2.25 percent pool raise for faculty and staff at CSU could also be in jeopardy if lawmakers alter the proposed state budget.

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CSU President and Chancellor Tony Frank didn’t speculate on the chances of a major shift at the Capitol. The Legislature has until midnight June 30 to pass a budget for the next fiscal year.

The current budget being discussed in Denver would direct an additional $20.5 million to higher education in the state. That equals about $3.9 million for the CSU System, which has two physical campuses and an online campus, with an overall annual budget of more than $1 billion.

Frank described the tuition increases as meeting the goal to “strike a balance” between affordability and the cost of a quality education. He cited the just-released CSU accountability report’s findings that already, higher earnings by CSU graduates mean state investment is paid back via higher taxed earnings in about three years.

The lifetime return on investment for state spending at CSU is about 13 to 1, Frank said.

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CSU is also working on a pay equity study for its administrative/professional employees and is working toward a “living wage” proposal, where all full-time employees make at least $30,000 per year.

Lynn Johnson, chief financial officer of the CSU System, noted that the living wage proposal will be a multi-year effort. It’s starting with a $200,000 pool in this budget.

“We’ve heard loud and clear here in Fort Collins that salaries are of the utmost importance to our employees,” Johnson said.

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CSU tuition, 2017-18 school year

Proposed tuition for Colorado State University students in the coming year:

Resident undergraduate: $9,152 (5 percent increase)

Nonresident undergraduate: $26,660 (2.5 percent increase)

Resident graduate: $9,917 (3 percent increase)

Nonresident graduate: $24,312 (3 percent increase)

Resident Professional Veterinary Medicine Program: $31,455 (7 percent increase)

Nonresident Professional Veterinary Medicine Program: $55,490 (2 percent increase)

Source: Colorado State University Board of Governors