The University of Alabama Board of Trustees unanimously approved a tuition increase for all three University of Alabama campuses in a meeting Friday.
In-state students at the UA campus will see an increase of $125, or 2.7 percent, per semester and out-of-state students will see an increase of $500, or 4.4 percent, per semester.
The University of Alabama Birmingham campus is set to increase tuition by 6 percent per semester for both in-state and out-of-state students.
The University of Alabama Huntsville campus will see tuition increase by roughly 4 percent for in-state students per semester and roughly 2 percent for out-of-state students per semester.
Ray Hayes, executive vice chancellor for finance and operations, said the Board is very concerned about affordability for students and that the UA system schools are some of few schools left that offer an annual in-state tuition for less than $10,000.
“We’ll do everything we can to keep tuition as low as possible,” Hayes said.
The increase is intended to help the system rely less on state funding, as funding has decreased from $640 million in 2008 to $447 million in 2013. The change will come into effect fall 2013 and apply to spring and summer 2014 semesters.
The board also approved resolutions in the Sorority Expansion Master plan, affecting Alpha Phi, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Mu. Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was approved as well for a $6 million preliminary budget for a house to be built on University Blvd.
Other expansion resolutions approved by the Board include a $2 million budget revision for the Ferguson Center renovation, putting the budget at around $43 million.
The UA campus will be able to begin the process of creating a Bachelor of Science degree in both architectural engineering and environmental engineering as well as a resolution to create a Post-Master’s Certificate program in women’s studies after the board’s approval Friday.