Full-time students could have to pay more tuition per credit hour next year.Louisiana House Bill 270 would give institutions the ability to raise tuition by the hour for full-time students if it passes.Tuition is currently capped at $1,729.25 for in-state undergraduate students enrolled in 12 or more hours for the spring semester.Passage of this bill would allow institutions to raise tuition one-twelfth of the current tuition for each hour a student takes.The bill caps the ability to raise tuition rates at three hours. Students taking 15 hours or more at the University would pay the same tuition rates.This hypothetical raise comes after the Board of Supervisors approved a 5 percent tuition increase effective next semester. This increase applies to both tuition and required fees and equates to an increase of $220 per year using this year’s data from the Office of Budget and Planning.With the approved 5 percent increase added to this semester’s tuition, and considering the maximum raise per credit hour allowed by the bill, students would have to pay $151 more per credit hour taken in the fall.Using this formula students would pay $453 dollars for taking 15 hours in a semester.These figures will vary with the exact amount of tuition next year.Robert Kuhn, associate vice chancellor of budget and planning, declined advocating for or against the bill but said it could lead to some increased revenues for the University. “If they are only looking at this cost, this could make them take fewer hours and longer time to graduate,” Kuhn said. “If they look at only cost with our current system, it’s actually a better deal to take as many hours per semester as possible.”Former University Chancellor James Wharton called the bill a “terrible idea” and said it would lead to fewer students graduating.Jason Droddy, assistant vice chancellor of Legislative and External Affairs, said the University hasn’t discusses the bill recently, but would look into the concept. The average student takes more than 14 hours per semester, according to Office of Budget and Planning statistics.House Bill 270 is not the only possible tuition increase students could see next semester. The LA GRAD act, proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, would give the University the authority to raise tuition by 10 percent if graduation goals are met.
 
 
 
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