The most pivotal meeting of the year for the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees took place Wednesday to set up for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Board unanimously approved the increase to tuition and fees for the upcoming school year. It was recommended that tuition for full-time resident undergraduates would see a 4.3 percent increase, or the amount of $13,017 for the academic year. This would be for students that plan on taking between 12 to 15 credit hours per semester. Resident undergraduate and non-resident undergraduates that have been admitted and enrolled with the Summer I 2017 session or later that are taking credits hours that fall below or above a certain amount of credits (below 11 and above 16 credits), would see an increase of 8.71 percent.

For graduate courses, the tuition rate increase for residents would increase $30 per credit hour to $681.67. Graduate non-resident would move up almost $36 per credit hour to $1,268.

The Board also recommended to eliminate a support fee for undergrads taking online courses. The fee was $60 per credit hour. The fee would be a $20 per course technology fee instead.

The tuition increase is also dependent on proposed budgets from Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature for state appropriations, tuition restraints and performance metrics. If the new formula puts the percentage increase over the new percentage maximum, the Board plans to amend the increase.

WMU stated that tuition is the major revenue source for the general fund and is approximately 71 percent of the total budgeted revenue. Tuition is also roughly 52 percent of all university revenue.

The recommended tuition and fees can be found here.

The Board also unanimously approved the University budget for 2019-2020 and the establishment of WMU's Business, Technology and Research Park 2 (a 54-acre addition to the current park on Parkview Drive, south of Drake Road). They also approved the renewal of a lease of the former Montague House on Oakland Drive to March 2022. Western uses the home for office and meeting space.

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