If the Legislature approves a plan that would allow management boards to raise university tuition, UL students may see an extra $173 tacked onto their tuition each year.
The bill was approved last week by the House education committee, and given that many universities, including Lafayette's three public higher education institutions had no tuition increases in the past three years, it's likely that the measure will be accepted before the end of the session.
Institutions point to low tuition - the lowest among other institutions within the Southern Regional Education Board - coupled with sporadic state support as the reason for the change.
Many students on campus weren't aware of the proposed increase, which some say will pinch their finances. While paying an extra about $85 a semester may equate to two or three tanks of gas, for those students without financial aid or parents pitching in, the added expense is a financial strain.
"Eighty dollars? That's a book," said Lauren Richard, a UL sophomore majoring in education. "That's a used book, really."
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Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com