West Texas A&M University To Raise Tuition By $150

With the price increases on products nation wide, it was just a matter of time before the increases reached Universities.  Anybody planning on attending WT within the next couple semesters will most likely see an increase in tuition.West Texas A&M University officials plan to raise tuition by $150 per semester for the 2012-13 school year.  This will help to offset state budget cuts and meet increasing expenses such as paying the faculty.

WT President J. Patrick O’Brien and Gary Barnes, the university’s vice president of business and finance, unveiled the proposed increase Monday during a student hearing at the Amarillo Center inside the Chase Tower in downtown Amarillo.

“We’re not happy any more than anybody else who pays the fees,” Barnes said.

The proposed increase will raise about $9 million. The hike would provide $1.6 million in faculty and staff raises, cover higher lease payments at the Amarillo Center and cover new teaching positions in the civil and environmental engineering programs, among several other items.

It is not set yet, the Texas A&M University Board of Regents will vote on the proposed tuition increase in May.

Since WT is such a reasonably priced school, WT’s faculty and staff already make lower salaries than their counterparts in many other schools.

“We want to provide a salary increase, which we’re going to have to retain them or attract other faculty and staff to replace them,” O'Brien said.

WT’s in-state undergraduate tuition is $152 per semester credit hour, with $102 of that charged by WT and $50 by Texas. So a student enrolled in 15 semester credit hours pays an estimated $3,215 that includes other fees.  Tuition revenue makes up a third of WT’s total budget.

Last year the Texas Legislature approved $26.7 million for WT this school year, which is a $4 million drop from last year.  The budget for the 2012-13 year is even lower, Lawmakers approved $26.5 million.

“The most valuable asset at our institution is our people,” O’Brien said.

WT planned to meet cuts this year by eliminating 15 vacant positions and monitoring expenses such as utilities and travel. Barnes has said the university doesn’t expect making layoffs next school year.

Even with the tuition increase, WT will still be one of the least expensive schools in Texas.  A great school at a great price.