Lack Of State Funding Forces Una Administrators To Propose Tuition Increase

Jun. 13, 2016

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@zo23.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

Bryan Rachal, University Communications FLORENCE, Ala. - Members of the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees will vote on a resolution that calls for a 3.9 percent tuition increase in 2016-17 due to a lack of state funding, amongst other factors. The move will add $10 per credit hour for students. University officials said the 3.9 percent increase should still place UNA below the median for tuition increases across all of Alabama's universities. "UNA's tuition rate places us in the bottom quartile of senior institutions in Alabama," said Dr. Ken Kitts, UNA president. "Even with a 3.9 percent increase, we should still remain in the bottom quartile," he said. The call for the modest increase comes after UNA continues to rank last in Alabama when it comes to per-student funding from the state. At the same time, the University is increasing scholarship support for students and a significant portion of UNA's tuition revenue is invested into those scholarships to attract students. "Our projected expenditures to support institutional scholarships in the 2016-17 academic year will be $11.3 million," said Kitts. "That's an increase of over $2 million from the 2015-16 academic year and will be a record high in scholarship support at UNA," he said. And while the University's state funding will increase slightly this fiscal year compared to last, it still remains $9 million below 2008's funding level, if adjusted for inflation. Kitts said the lack of adequate state funding forces UNA to make modest tuition increases to ensure the quality of academic programs and services for the students. "Increasing tuition is always the last option," said Kitts. "But without proper state funding, we have to balance the need to limit increases with the need to continue to support top-notch faculty and provide exceptional academic programs and services," he said. The moves made by UNA's administration have paid off so far. UNA saw record freshmen enrollment last fall and preliminary admittance numbers for fall 2016 look good as well. If approved, the tuition charge for each enrolled undergraduate hour will be $264 effective fall 2016. That's an increase of $10 or 3.9 percent from the current $254 per hour. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and Nursing. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. UNA also operates a renowned collegiate athletic program in NCAA Division II's Gulf South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age or national origin. http://5or7.zo23.com/