NCCU, Fayetteville State OK tuition increases

Tuition will go up $192 a year for N.C. Central undergrads and $242 for graduate students, while undergrads at Fayetteville State will pay an extra $158 and graduate students $184.

Both increases still must be approved by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina system and state lawmakers before they can take effect.

Other UNC campuses also are looking to increase tuition to offset major cuts to state funding. N.C. Central, for example, lost $13 million in state support, or 14 percent of its annual budget.

“After experiencing years of permanent budget cuts and reversion requirements, reductions at this level are difficult for the university to absorb without seriously impacting direct instruction,” Chancellor Charlie Nelms said in a statement. “We have attempted to balance our commitment to access, affordability and quality. Low cost but poor quality is not a bargain for anyone.”

The campus also has asked the Board of Governors to approve an extra $3.9 million in tuition increases over the next five years. The UNC system implemented a 6.5 percent cap on annual tuition increases several years ago but allowed campuses a one-time exception to catch up to costs at similar schools.

About one-third of the annual tuition increase at N.C. Central would go to expanded course offerings, officials said. Another third would go to financial aid, and the rest would go to student support, supplies, library operations and technology upgrades.