(Portland, OR) March 31, 2016 — The Portland State University Board of Trustees approved modest increases in tuition for next academic year to balance the budget and avoid cuts in programs and personnel.
The board voted Thursday to approve a 3.7 percent increase in annual tuition and mandatory fees for resident undergraduate students and slightly smaller increases for non-resident and graduate students. Annual tuition and mandatory fees for full-time Oregon undergraduates will be $8,337 starting next fall.
“Without this increase, PSU would have to cut $6 million from the budget,” said Peter Nickerson, chair of the trustees.
“We understand any tuition increase is a hardship for our students. That’s why PSU needs more outside support. Oregon ranks near the bottom nationally in state support of higher education, and we need to find alternatives that help make PSU more affordable for our students and future students,” he said.
Several dozen students and individuals from Portland advocacy groups organized a protest that disrupted the meeting similar to a demonstration at the last meeting of the trustees in December. The board recessed at 1:45 p.m. when the demonstration escalated and protesters said they would not allow the meeting to continue. Board members continued the meeting from another location at 2:25 p.m. livestreaming it to the public.
Tuition is PSU’s main source of revenue. Enrollment next year is projected to remain flat, and state support will account for 27 percent of the education and general operating budget next year. PSU officials detailed cost increases such as hiring faculty, advisers and other staff who provide student services as well as increasing costs of salaries and benefits.
Pam Miller, president of the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors representing full-time faculty, and Vice Provost Shelly Chabon told the board that the union and PSU reached a tentative four-year contract agreement with PSU that includes 2 percent pay raises this year and future raises pegged to the Consumer Price Index. It is not official until faculty concludes voting on the new contract Monday.
Portland State currently has the second-lowest tuition and mandatory fees for full-time resident undergrads among all seven Oregon public universities. Increases are expected at the other universities. For example, the University of Oregon’s board approved a 4.8 percent increase to $10,783 for resident undergraduates on March 4. As a result, tuition and fees next year at PSU will be 29 percent lower than UO.