Tuition for Miami's in-state students will not increase for the 2015-2016 school year due to an anticipated increase in state funding to the university. This decision was confirmed by the Board of Trustees at their meeting on June 26.
Out-of-state students will now pay $30,233 for tuition at the Oxford campus, a 2 percent increase from the 2014-2015 tuition rate, while in-state students will continue to pay $13,533 for tuition and fees.
For the 2014-2015 school year, the university implemented a 2 percent increase for both in-state and out-of-state students. The previous year, tuition was raised by 1.5 percent for all students and the year before that, a 3.5 percent increase was implemented for in-state and out-of-state students.
"We are very grateful for the support of the legislature and the governor for higher education," said Miami president David Hodge. "The state provided additional funds to make up the revenue lost by freezing tuition, thus making college accessible to Ohio students while allowing us to invest in quality outcomes."
According to the College Affordability and Transparency Center, Miami's net price, the average amount a student pays to attend the university for a year after subtracting scholarships and grants, ranks highest in the nation among four-year public universities at $24, 247. This figure includes room and board costs as well as estimated travel costs.
However, for in-state tuition alone, Miami ranks nineteenth among the country's most expensive four-year public institutions.
Claire Wagner, communications director, said, although it may cost more than other public universities, investing in a Miami education pays off.
"Miami is known nationally as a 'best value' in higher education because of our dedicated faculty, active learning environment, numerous opportunities for involvement and for having one of the best graduation rates among national public universities," said Wagner.
Miami was ranked 55 on Kiplinger's "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" for 2015 which takes into account competitiveness, graduation rates, academic support, cost and financial aid, and student indebtedness.
"Being able to keep in-state tuition at the same rate eases costs a bit for students while they know they are receiving a high-quality Miami education," Wagner said.
More than half of the undergraduate population at Miami's Oxford campus will benefit from this freeze in tuition as in-state students, but the number of non-resident undergraduates, whose tuition is more than double that of in-state students, has continued to climb.
According to university admissions records, the percentage of out-of-state students at Miami rose from 32.7 percent in 2010 to 43 percent in 2014. The number of applications from domestic out-of-state students has also risen by over 60 percent from 7,010 applications in 2010 to 11,310 in 2014.
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Sophomore Haley Hamilton said the news of the tuition freeze came as a relief.
"I'm happy about the freeze considering I'm an in-state student," said Hamilton. "We have so many out-of-state students, though, who were already paying much more than in-state students, so it feels kind of imbalanced."
Nationally, from the 2013-2014 term to 2014-2015, average published tuition and fees for students at four-year public institutions rose 2.9 percent. Data from the College Board indicates that although tuition has continued to increase, the rate of increase has slowed.
From 2004 to 2014, the average annual percentage increase in tuition, adjusted for inflation, was 3.5 percent and, in the previous decade, was about 4 percent.
According to President Hodge, the long-term goal of Miami's Board of Trustees is keep tuition increases at or below 2 percent each year.
"[We] are working to contain costs while continuing to improve the outcomes for students at Miami," said Hodge.
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