DETROIT — Wayne State University’s Board of Governors in late June approved a $567 million operating budget for fiscal year 2013 that includes a 3.88 percent tuition increase for resident undergraduate and graduate students. 

Tuition will increase to $11.20 per credit hour, or $134.40 per semester for students taking 12 credit hours in Fall 2012. WSU’s full-time undergraduate freshman tuition ranks 13th among Michigan’s 15 public universities (based on 12 credit hours). 

“Raising tuition is always a very difficult decision to make as a board,” said Tina Abbott, chair of WSU’s Board of Governors. “We know that many of our students and their families are facing financial challenges.” 

To mitigate tuition increases for those needing financial assistance, Wayne State has doubled its financial aid over the past five years. This includes investing an additional $3 million for the coming year, for a total of $56 million in institutional financial aid. More than 82 percent of all WSU undergraduate students receive some type of need-based or merit-based financial aid.

Following a 15 percent cut in state appropriations last year, Wayne State will receive a 0.65 percent increase in state funding this year. 

“We have done all we can to keep tuition affordable and still maintain our quality and accessibility,” said WSU President Allan Gilmour. “Our costs are almost flat—up just four-tenths of one percent—despite the inflationary pressures we all face. We appreciate the increase in state funding, and we look forward to the kinds of increases in the future that will enable us to hold down tuition for our students and their families.”