Florida’s public university governing board has okayed tuition hikes and rejected fee increases. The move comes after weeks of lobbying by Governor Rick Scott to keep costs down.
Included in most state university budgets is a 1.7 percent tuition increase. That was written into the state budget by Florida lawmakers and was put into motion after Governor Rick Scott vetoed a larger, three-percent tuition hike.
The schools are using that money in different ways. Some are putting part of the revenue into need-based financial aid for students, while others are offsetting it by lowering their tuition rates.
Many university budgets also included increases for fees associated with recycling and renewable energy programs on campuses, and student-centered building funds. Many of those fees were pushed by the students at the schools. The board rejected those fee increases. The rejection came after Governor Rick Scott wrote to board members, prior to Thursday’s meeting, reiterating his call to keep higher education costs down.
