MUNCIE — Ball State University's board of trustees approved a 1.24 percent increase in tuition and fees that board Chairman Rick Hall said contained no hidden costs.
"There is no bait and switch going on here … " Hall said as trustees approved the lowest tuition hike in 41 years. "The increase is very minimal."
Tuition and mandatory fees will rise from $9,654 for the 2016-17 school year to $9,774 for the 2017-18 academic year.
By comparison, tuition/fees totaled $10,388 this year at Indiana University-Bloomington and $10,002 at Purdue University's main campus.
Tuition and fees in the Mid-American Conference this year ranged from $9,574 at University of Toledo to $14,736 at Miami University, according to BSU Treasurer Bernie Hannon. Ball State ranked third lowest in the MAC.
Hannon also said the vast majority of Ball State students won't pay that $9,774 "sticker price" next year. Seventy-two percent of first-time, full-time BSU students receive grants or scholarships.
Ball State's financial-aid budget for 2017-18 is estimated to increase from $35 million to $39 million.
Trustees also approved a $372-million general fund budget for the 2017-18 academic year, 57 percent of which is funded by tuition and 36 percent by state appropriations.