The House Higher Education Subcommittee is moving forward with a bill that could make higher education cheaper.
The plan limits public universities’ ability to seek an increase in the tuition differential fee. House Higher Ed Chair Elizabeth Porter says the fee makes college too expensive.
“This has been a goal of ours all along, is to be able to get as students into the system as we can, and enable them to afford their education once they get there,” she said.
Proponents say it helps universities keep top professors and pay for need-based scholarships. The proposal would allow only top performing “pre-eminent” institutions to request up to a 6% increase, if they meet certain performance benchmarks. Other schools could see their rates frozen at current levels unless they reach pre-eminent status, or lawmakers change the rates.
