Editor’s note: While Gov. Bobby Jindal’s budget includes no general fund cuts to higher education, it is build on several new provisions that require legislative approval. This story is part of a series looking at the largest of those provisions.
Uncertainty over potential increases in tuition abound a week after Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget was released.
The governor’s budget calls for “legislation [that] will raise the cap on per-credit-hour tuition from 12 to 15 hours,” according to the Executive Summary and Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater’s presentation to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget last week.
But University administrators say budget figures appear to allow the cap be completely removed.
The governor presented his budget to legislators earlier this month. Legislators will debate, amend and ultimately pass the budget for the next fiscal year during the summer’s legislative session.
Currently, tuition rates are capped at the full-time rate of 12 hours per semester. Students taking 12 or more hours pay a flat rate, while students taking less than 12 hours pay tuition on a stratified per-credit-hour basis.
The governor’s proposal, as listed in the executive summary, would allow that flat-rate cap to be increased to 15 hours to keep students from liberally dropping classes.
But Robert Kuhn, University associate vice chancellor of Budget and Planning, said it initially appears increases outlined in the governor’s proposed budget can only be achieved by dropping the flat rate for tuition completely.
Under the University’s initial understanding, students would see a tuition increase with every credit hour taken.
Legislation outlining the governor’s exact proposal has not been filed.
Further questions surround how TOPS awards would be implemented with these potential tuition increases.
 
____
Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at
[email protected]