UNC Asheville Board of Trustees Approves Tuition, Fee and Required Student Health Insurance Recommendations for 2008-09 Academic Year

The UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, which met on Saturday following Winter Commencement ceremonies, approved recommended tuition and fee increases for the 2008-2009 academic year. The recommendation, which now moves to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors for consideration in early 2008, originated with a six-member tuition committee and an eight-member fees committee, both made up of faculty, students and administrators.

The recommendation would increase UNC Asheville's annual in-state tuition by $32 and annual out-of-state tuition by $372 for the 2008-09 academic year. UNC Asheville's current annual in-state tuition is $2,307 and annual out-of-state tuition is $13,297.

If the tuition increase is approved, 25 percent will be set aside for students receiving need-based financial aid, 50 percent will go to student services, and 25 percent to faculty salaries.

The recommendation approved by the Board of Trustees also includes a $98.50 increase in annual required student fees. The fees help fund student activities, student health services, athletics, and student computing and scientific equipment needs. The required student fees for the current academic year total $1,736.85

The Board of Trustees also approved a recommendation that will require all full-time students to carry health insurance beginning fall semester 2008. Ten campuses in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system currently require students to carry health insurance and two other campuses have similar plans under way for fall 2008, said Bill Haggard, UNC Asheville Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

 "In recent years, we have become deeply concerned about our uninsured students. We know that students who are ill will seek medical care earlier when they are covered by insurance, which, in turn, can prevent treatable problems from growing into serious illnesses and medical crises. We have seen students' academic careers threatened when they become seriously ill or injured, and when uninsured students become ill or injured, that threat can be significantly compounded by substantial health care debt. It makes sense for the university to establish student health insurance coverage that provides access to quality health care and achieves a balance between coverage and cost," Haggard said.

Full-time undergraduate students, which are those students carrying 12 or more credit hours, who can document that they have a minimum level of health insurance coverage will receive a waiver. Students who do not have adequate documentation will be required to purchase insurance through UNC Asheville at the estimated cost of $611 a year ($305.50 per semester) for 12-month coverage. Those who purchase the insurance through the university will be able to have the insurance premiums built into the cost of attendance for financial aid purposes.

The insurance will be provided through Pearce & Pearce Inc., a national student health insurance company, which already offers optional health insurance for UNC Asheville students.

Haggard estimates that about 30 percent of UNC Asheville full-time students are uninsured, based on the experiences of the 10 UNC campuses that already require health insurance. UNC Asheville expects to have about 3,000 full-time undergraduate students on campus in fall 2008.  

In other business, the Board of Trustees formally approved the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She will join the university July 1, 2008.