While national trends show that the cost of tuition at public universities isn’t increasing as rapidly as it has in past years, LSU is seeing some of the greatest leaps in tuition increases for college students, even though the overall cost of attending the University remains relatively low compared to other schools.
This week, the College Board released its report, “Trends in College Pricing 2013,” which shows changes in college prices.
According to the report, Louisiana was the state with the largest increase in tuition and fees for in-state students at flagship universities, jumping by 10 percent at LSU.
The study shows that LSU had the largest out-of-state tuition increase for flagship universities at 14 percent.
Vice Provost of Fiscal Management Robert Kuhn explained that, due to a loss in state appropriations, the University has to compensate with an increase in tuition and fees.
Though tuition increases at the University are some of the largest in the nation, the overall cost of attending LSU still remains relatively low compared to other colleges. The current cost of attending the University for full-time in-state students is $3,917, while out-of-state students pay around $12,871.
The College Board reports the 2013-14 fiscal year 2.9 percent increase for in-state tuition and fees is the smallest in several years for all public universities.
“This does not mean that college is suddenly more affordable, but it does mean that the rapid growth of recent years did not represent a ‘new normal’ for annual price increases,” the report states.
LSU President F. King Alexander stressed to the community that now is the time to invest in higher education.
Alexander said the national College Scorecard’s rating of the University says that the University is one of the most affordable.
This scorecard ranks the University’s price as low with an average net price of $10,629 per year for undergraduate students.
Since most students receive TOPS, Alexander said this increases the University’s affordability.
“The value of an LSU degree has never been greater,” Alexander said.
Though 14-day enrollment numbers at the University have increased with a freshman class of 5,984 — 484 above the University’s target — the “Trends in College Pricing 2013” reports Louisiana has the second-lowest growth in enrollment rates, at 11 percent.