PSU Board of Trustees votes to reduce tuition increase

The PSU Board of Trustees voted 8 to 5 Wednesday to raise tuition by 3.95 percent next fall for full-time residential undergraduates after students raised concerns about a proposal for a 5 percent increase.   

"We do listen to you (students)," said PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi. "We will look at ways to increase resources through financial aid and partnerships with the business community. We are going to take initiatives that are going to maximize the value of a PSU education."

Board members noted that PSU faces difficult budget choices mainly because of a long history of under-funding by the state combined with rising costs of employee salaries, benefits and pensions. All seven Oregon public universities are proposing tuition increases. Oregon remains in the bottom third in the nation when it comes to per student state funding for higher education.   

PSU officials said a tuition increase is necessary to maintain services and avert cuts in programs and student support.   

They said they understand concerns of students about tuition, particularly for low-income students and families. That’s why the university has established two programs that provide free tuition for eligible freshmen and incoming transfer students who receive federal and state need-based grants. 

PSU will remain more affordable than most other Oregon universities. For resident undergraduates, annual tuition and fees at PSU will be about $2,800 a year lower than University of Oregon, $2,100 lower than Oregon State and lower than OIT, Southern and Western Oregon universities.