AU Provost Neil Kerwin and vice president of finance Don Myers expect a 4.5 to 6 percent increase in tuition fees for 2005-2006, they announced in a Town Hall Forum held on Tuesday in Kay Spiritual Center.
"We can't land on a number just yet," Kerwin said. "However, we are anticipating a spirited debate [over tuition]."
Kerwin explained that the Board of Trustees is still in the "very early stages of developing the budget" and could not give an exact estimate of any expenditures for the upcoming school year.
Kerwin said AU's tuition is actually "below normal" compared to competing schools, including George Washington, Georgetown, Boston and New York universities. Universities' tuitions lower than AU include Syracuse University, Pennsylvania State University and Ithaca College. These numbers are based on full-time undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees in 2002-2003, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Private institutions average a 5.2 percent tuition increase each year, according to an annual report released by the College Board.
Kerwin and Myers explained that AU depends largely on its students' tuition for revenue.
Kerwin hopes to receive a lot of feedback from students regarding financial aspects of life at AU.
"Students are the best judges of the services [they] receive," he said.
Both Kerwin and Myers plan to "keep the community fully informed" about all financial developments.
The Board of Trustees deals with enrollment projections, pricing strategies, overall planning and unforeseen expenditures, according to Myers. They use these criteria for developing a detailed two-year budget, he said.
The Board of Trustees will have its first meeting in November to discuss the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 budgets.
