Beginning with the fall 2018 semester, full-time, resident undergraduate students will pay $165 more per semester, undergraduate students who live in the metro* counties in Kentucky and Ohio will pay $285 more, and non-resident undergraduate students will pay $379 more per semester.
Tuition for most resident graduate students will go up $172 per semester, with metro graduate students paying $304 more and non-resident graduate students paying $414 more per semester.
In addition to the 4.25 percent tuition increase, residence hall rates will increase from $40 per semester for a double room in Twin Towers to $94 per semester for a double room with bath in the first-year residence halls. Meal plans will increase between $52 and $68 per semester, depending on the plan selected.
The new tuition and fee rates will be posted at www.marshall.edu/tuition in the next few days.
According to university officials, part of the revenue from the tuition increase will be used to supplement the financial aid available to students, including both need- and merit-based scholarships. In addition, $50,000 will be allocated to the Student Activities Board for programming.
In his remarks to the board, Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert said the tuition increase and funds from a $2.50 per semester parking fee increase will help build up the Marshall University Police Department (MUPD) as the university’s footprint expands along Hal Greer Boulevard, due primarily to the anticipated School of Pharmacy facilities.
According to Gilbert, 10 additional MUPD officers will be hired this year to cover the university’s Huntington locations, bringing the total number of officers on the force to 33.
He added the funding also will allow the hiring of three additional dispatchers and the purchase of equipment, including radios and a vehicle. He also said the university is doing an audit of lighting on campus and will be adding lights where needed.
“Safety of our students, faculty and staff is our primary responsibility and I want parents to know we are taking every measure to keep our campus as secure as possible,” he said. “We provide campus police coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including bicycle and foot patrols, as well as by officers in cruisers. We have an extremely safe campus and are taking steps to make sure it stays safe as we continue to grow.”
Gilbert also noted there are more than 30 blue help phones located on poles around the Huntington campus and 496 security cameras that cover most of the buildings and grounds.
In other action today, the board approved a two percent raise for most of the university’s faculty and staff. The raises will go into effect in early March.
Gilbert said, “Because we have done a good job managing the university’s budget, we are pleased to be able to reward our hard-working faculty and staff.
“I am committed to raising salaries. It has been one of my main goals since I arrived and we will continue to look at ways to address our long-standing salary issues.”
He added that, as president, he is exempt from the raise, and that employees who have had their salaries adjusted since Dec. 1, 2017, will be eligible for no more than a one percent raise.
The university’s two percent raise includes the one percent increase being considered for all state employees. If the legislature and governor provide for additional raises beyond the anticipated one percent, the Board of Governors will take up the issue at its June meeting.
Board members today approved adding a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering degree program and an intent to plan for a bachelor of science in computer and information security. They also received the investment earnings and financial/budget reports for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2017.
*Metro tuition/fees apply to students who reside in Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike or Scioto counties in Ohio, and Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin and Pike counties in Kentucky.