Ohio University medical students could face a 5 percent tuition hike next year if the Board of Trustees approves a proposed increase.
The university’s Budget Planning Council approved the increase during its meeting Friday and will pass the recommendation onto OU President Roderick McDavis, who then decides whether or not to forward it to the board.
The hike would go into effect during the 2012-13 academic year.
“Medical education continues to go up statewide,” said John Day, associate provost for academic budgeting. “We projected (the OU Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine) will still remain the least expensive medical education in the state.”
Currently, full-time medical students pay $28,257 in tuition per year, according to OU’s website. With a 5 percent increase, tuition would jump to $29,670 per year, an increase of about $1,413.
Although the state instituted a 3.5 percent cap on undergraduate tuition at public universities in Ohio, there is no cap on medical tuition.
The proposed tuition increase would cover rising health care costs, faculty raises and hiring new doctors, Day said. OU is also expecting that some line items in the state budget that help support the medical program might be reduced, meaning the college would have to make up the difference.
“The existing line (items) that were there had a 15 percent cut last year,” Day said. “Clinical faculty line (items) and money that handles mobile vans they send around the community (were reduced). … They’re still maintaining that service, even though they don’t have that funding from the state anymore.”
OU’s medical college has increased tuition every year for the past 10 years, Day said. Tuition for the medical college also went up 5 percent, or $1,329, this academic year.
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