The Louisiana House and Senate passed a $37.4 million tuition increase across public colleges in the state last week.
Senators in the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget voted 8-5 for the bill, while House Representatives passed the bill 13-4.
The 10 percent increase will allow the University to raise tuition fee costs from $5,764 to $6,350 this fall.
Five percent of the increases comes from legislation passed in 2008, which has allowed the University to increase tuition by five percent over the course of four years. This is the last year these increases will be issued to the University.
The remaining five percent of the tuition increases comes from the LA GRAD Act 2.0, which was passed in the Senate Education Committee earlier this month.
These increases will be issued in the fall. Although tuition will be more expensive, the act will grant Louisiana universities more financial flexibility and possibly cut costs.
LSU and other colleges are also expected to meet certain accountability standards such as admission and graduation rates.
Earlier in the year there were increases to Louisiana graduate, medical and vet schools, as well.
The approval of the increases gives the tuition increases passage. However, tuition and fee increases faced much opposition this session among legislators.
Several legislators were frustrated with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to increase tuition at state universities while vetoing a bill to renew a 4-cent cigarette tax in recent weeks, calling Jindal irresponsible.
Bills to increase college tuition by approximately another $85 million remain in the House among strong opposition.
According to several legislative sources, these cuts and increases are not likely to pass.
The passage of this bill shows a shift in the legislative branch’s opinion on the budgets for state schools. Senator Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas, said the increases were necessary.
“What the state has done to some extent is hobbled higher education by just cutting the budgets since our education costs are much lower than southern regional average. For higher education to succeed we need to increase the way they can get money,” Guillory said. “We need to find some way to let universities and colleges get more money. The figures yelled out, screamed out desperately. [The universities] just weren’t going to be able to function.”
Guillory said although tuition increases may put a large strain on students, he sees no way around it.
“I think that the students are just going to have to suck it up,” he said. “I have a daughter who is a senior in college right now. … I’m going to have to dig deeper in my pocket to help. But the university she attends has to be able to function. If it cannot provide a good education, I lose double.”
Chancellor Michael Martin expressed a similar sentiment, saying although the increases may put a strain on students, they are important for the University’s long-term success and growth.
“No one likes tuition increases, but LSU students can be assured that every dollar is going to maintain quality education,” he said in an email to The Daily Reveille. “LSU remains one of the best bargains for a national university and provides a disproportionate amount of need-based aid.”
Martin said the nation is seeing a shift in opinion of higher education due to economic struggles. Students are being expected to pay a larger percent of their tuition if they seek to receive quality education.
“As state budgets get tighter, state policymakers are considering a college education more for its private value as opposed to the older notion of a degree as a public value,” Martin said. “The outstanding national reputation LSU has achieved opens doors and opportunities for its graduates.
Maintaining quality has significant long-term benefits throughout the lives of our students.”
 
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Contact Laura Furr at [email protected]