LOWELL - June 9, 2010:The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees today voted to maintain in-state tuition and mandatory fee rates at current levels in the upcoming academic year.
This means that the tuition and fee average for in-state undergraduates will be $10,966 in the 2010-2011 academic year.
Meanwhile, UMass President Jack M. Wilson said the University intends to increase its own spending on student financial aid by $12 million in the upcoming academic year. The University's spending on student financial aid is slated to reach $115 million in 2010-2011, which would represent a 219 percent increase over the $36 million UMass spent eight years ago.
President Wilson said the increased financial aid will "provide a significant financial cushion for students and their families" and will help to offset the loss of the one-time tuition and fee rebate the University was able to institute this year because of the infusion of $150 million in federal stimulus funds. The University expects to receive some stimulus funding in 2010-2011, but nowhere near the $150 million it received this year and not enough to provide a second year of rebates.
President Wilson said the Board of Trustees vote approving his student-charges recommendation was consistent with the University's focus on keeping academic quality within reach.
"At a time when students are applying to the University of Massachusetts in record numbers, we are working hard to maintain quality and affordability, the very characteristics responsible for this strong surge of interest," President Wilson said.
The student charges reaffirmed today would see tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergraduates remain at the following levels:
- Amherst, $11,732
- Boston, $10,611
- Dartmouth, $10,358
- Lowell, $10,506
In addition to voting to keep tuition and fees at current levels for in-state students, the Board of Trustees authorized the University's five campuses to increase mandatory fees for out-of-state students by up to 3 percent.
President Wilson also said the decision to keep in-state tuition and fee rates at current levels is predicated on the University receiving sufficient levels of state and federal stimulus funding. If funding falls short, the University would be forced to consider additional spending cuts as well as a possible emergency fee increase.
Contact: Robert P. Connolly, 617-287-7073