Purdue trustees approve frozen tuition and fee cuts

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University trustees on Wednesday (May 22) approved frozen tuition and cut costs for West Lafayette students.

The executive committee, acting on behalf of the full board, first held a public hearing on proposed tuition and fees to be paid by students attending any of the university's campuses during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.

Following the hearing and remarks by Purdue President Mitch Daniels, board members approved freezing tuition and cutting costs for meal plans and university cooperative education and internship programs for all students at the West Lafayette campus, as well as a 2 percent tuition and fee increase at Purdue's three regional campuses for each of the next two years.

"Thousands of West Lafayette students will pay less for their Purdue education next year than they did last year," Daniels said.

The cuts will affect more than 10,000 students. Meal plan charges will be cut 5 percent from a scheduled increase and the internship/co-op/professional practice fee will drop from $914 to $400 for non-credit courses for a total reduction of $3.5 million.

Three fees already slated for increases will rise on the West Lafayette campus. The student fitness and wellness fee will increase $82 the first year, and the student activity fee will increase $10 each year. The engineering differential fee, which only applies to undergraduate engineering students, will increase $250 each year. All other general fees will be held flat.

Tuition and fees for resident students will be $9,992 in 2013-14 and $10,002 in 2014-15.

Out-of-state students also would see an increase of $92 the first year and $10 the next year. Tuition and fees for nonresident students will be $28,794 in 2013-14 and $28,804 in 2014-15. International students enrolled prior to summer 2011 will pay $28,794; those enrolled prior to summer 2012 will pay $29,830; and those enrolled in summer 2012 or after will pay $30,794 in 2013-14, with an increase of $10 for each category for 2014-15.

Purdue's tuition and fees currently rank ninth out of 11 public Big Ten universities for resident undergraduates and sixth for nonresident students.

Fees for students at other Purdue campuses are assessed on a per credit hour basis, and will increase 2 percent for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 academic years. The 2013-2014 rates for resident and nonresident students, respectively, are:

* Purdue Calumet - $237 and $535

* Purdue North Central - $240 and $570

* Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne - $260 and $624 

Writer: Chris Sigurdson, 765-496-2644, sig@purdue.edu