TN college students could soon see tuition hikes again - WSMV Channel 4
Member Center:
Less than a year after double digit tuition hikes at Tennessee's state colleges and universities, more could be on the way.
Students could be asked to fork over even more money for classes, and once again it could be a steep increase.
Middle Tennessee State University played host to some UT-Knoxville students Friday for a mock trial.
But they don't need a judge or jury to give them a verdict on a possible 8 percent tuition hike.
"I think it's ridiculous," University of Tennessee student Marcus Baker said.
Students from UT just saw their tuition go up this year by 12 percent.
"It's really tough on students, and it feels like they aren't rerouting that back into the system, because we're still losing teachers. We're losing tons of programs at UT," student Matthew Underwood said.
At MTSU, the hike was slightly smaller at just under 9 percent.
But the Tennessee Higher Education Commission is once again recommending possibly tuition hikes.
Under the recommendation, UT and the University of Memphis would see the highest hikes, at between 5 and 8 percent.
It would be slightly less for other four-year universities and community colleges, between 3 and 6 percent.
The final number would depend on whether Gov. Haslam cuts higher education funding.
Another possible year of tuition increases comes at a time when there's talk of possibly reducing the amount of HOPE scholarships or raising standards.
Also, student debt has become a major issue.
And some of the students we spoke with Friday say if the trend continues, college could be out of reach for many people in the future at a time when more college graduates are needed.
"It seems to become the avenue for the wealthy. If you can afford to go to college, that's great. But if you can't, the money to go to college is disappearing and so are the chances for everyone to be involved in higher education," Baker said.
Copyright WSMV 2011. All rights reserved.
 | 
|
