In the wake of grant changes affecting more than 4,000 Mississippi university students, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees voted unanimously to raise tuition across the board Thursday.
Mississippi State University’s tuition will increase by 6.9 percent to $8,218 per year for the 2017-2018 academic year.
The decision came after sweeping cuts to the state budget by the Mississippi Legislature.
“(Mississippi State President) Dr. (Mark) Keenum has been dealing with budget cuts as a regular part of his administration since two weeks after taking office,” said MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter.
Salter said the university’s tuition would still be competitive, and in some cases lower than institutions in neighboring states, and that the tuition, remained lower than several other Southeastern Conference universities’ tuition six years ago.
“We have still been able to remain competitive where it counts the most, in the classroom and in the research laboratory,” Salter said.
The board said all state universities requested an increase, except Jackson State University, and the increases would average $192.