The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Nov. 30, recommended modest increases in the annual charges for tuition and fees for the 2017-18 academic year.
By a unanimous vote, the trustees approved a $75 increase for undergraduate students in annual in-state tuition. The amount equals a 2 percent tuition increase for undergraduate students who are North Carolina residents.
The board also approved a $77 increase in fees paid by all students for various student activities and services.
Finally, the board approved a $107 increase in the University’s transportation fee from $48 to $155.
While the increase is relatively significant, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois told the board that the fee will help fund important services that will benefit students.
A portion of the fee will pay for an all-access pass for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) bus usage and LYNX Blue Extension light rail, which will begin serving campus in August 2017.
The proposed all-access card would allow unlimited use of light rail along the entire line from campus to Pineville, as well as all CATS bus routes.
Dubois explained that students may choose now to ride light rail to attend classes and avoid having to purchase the required $450 parking permit to park their private vehicles on campus.
Another portion of the fee will be applied to improve the campus shuttle bus service to coincide with arrival and departures of the light rail trains. Faculty and staff will have the option to purchase an all-access pass at a discounted rate.
Campus and CATS officials estimate that a light rail train will arrive on campus 107 times each day.
Under the proposal, the total cost for tuition and all fees for undergraduate North Carolina resident students with the addition of the increases will be $7,000. That is approximately 3.8 percent more than the $6,742 in current tuition and fees for undergraduate residents.
Compared to other UNC system campuses, UNC Charlotte fees and tuition remain an excellent value.
UNC Charlotte’s tuition for resident undergraduates now stands at more than $600 less than UNC peers East Carolina University, UNC Greensboro and UNC Wilmington. Across the entire 17-campus UNC system, UNC Charlotte’s tuition and fees rank well below the median of $9,691.
The proposed increases require final approval by the UNC Board of Governors.