UNC Asheville Board of Trustees Approves Tuition, Fees Recommendations for 2006-07

The UNC Asheville Board of Trustees on Friday approved a recommendation to increase UNC Asheville’s in-state tuition by $275 and out-of-state tuition by $600 for the 2006-07 academic year. The recommendation for the campus-based tuition increase will be submitted to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors for consideration. UNC Asheville’s current in-state tuition is $1,897 per year and current out-of-state tuition is $11,697 per year.

“This recommendation is the culmination of some very thoughtful collaboration among students, faculty, staff and board members,” said UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder. “It also fulfills the university’s responsibility for completing a three-year plan designed to address critical university priorities, while keeping cost increases to a minimum for students and their families.”

If approved, the campus-based tuition increase will generate about $1 million in revenue. A full 36 percent of funds from the tuition increase will be set aside for students who receive need-based financial aid.

The remaining 64 percent of the funds will enhance the learning experience for students, especially through providing the most qualified and dedicated instructors, said Mark Padilla, UNC Asheville provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “We are competing for faculty with the best liberal arts colleges in the country. The additional funds will help meet the need to hire and retain the best faculty for the university.”

UNC Asheville’s faculty salaries are among the lowest of those paid at UNC campuses. In 2004-05, UNC Asheville ranked 14th among the 16 UNC campuses in average teaching salaries.

The recommendation approved by the Board of Trustees on Friday also included an $81 increase in three student fees: a $26 increase for UNC Asheville’s education and technology fee, a $30 increase in the athletics fee, and a $25 increase in the health services fee. Required fees for the current academic year total $1,629.

If the tuition and fees recommendation is approved, UNC Asheville’s tuition and fees for 2006-07 will total $3,882 a year for in-state students and $14,007 for out-of-state students. A recent study by The College Board determined that the average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public institutions for 2005-06 is $5,491. 

Media Contact:

• Merianne Epstein, UNC Asheville Public Information Director, 828/251-6676;
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