SOU Students, Staff react to approved tuition increase

Ashland, Ore. — The cost of going to Southern Oregon University might be getting more expensive. The school’s Board of Trustees met on Friday afternoon, and approved a 12-percent tuition increase.

The majority of students NBC5 News spoke with say it’s not the decision they wanted to hear.

“One of the main reasons I went here was because tuition, compared to other places in Oregon… it’s lower,” Taya Dixon said, a sophomore at the university.

Following a months long process, the board made the final decision to approve the 12-percent raise for the 2017-2018 school year.

SOU President Linda Schott says a number of student aid programs would have been cut to cover the gap, and the university can’t afford to cut any staff positions. At the same time, she’s sorry to see the burden be placed on the students.

“I want to point out that we will try to help the most vulnerable students, we’re increasing the amount of institutional aide that we will award to students,” Schott said.

This school year, in-state students are paying nearly $7,000 on tuition. With that 12-percent raise, they’ll likely be paying another $800 next year.

The Oregon Board of Education must sign off on the increase before it is final.

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