Pitt Announces Tuition Increases After State Funding Cuts

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The University of Pittsburgh announced their operating budget for the current fiscal year and the news is not good for students.

Funding cuts in Pennsylvania's budget have forced the university to significantly increase the cost of tuition.

"The deep and disproportionate reductions in state support built into the Commonwealth's budget made it very difficult to craft this year's operating budget. Pitt's existing appropriation was cut by more than $40 million, a reduction of 22 percent. This compares to an overall reduction in state spending of about 4 percent," Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said in a statement.

According to a statement from the university, Pitt's Commonwealth appropriation for the 2012 fiscal year, which started on July 1, is $144.5 million. That number is down from the $184.9 million they operated under in 2011 and is the lowest it has been since 1995.

Tuition will increase 8.5 percent for in-state students and 4 percent for out-of-state students at the Oakland campus.

"I don't have a way of getting money out of thin air," Pitt senior Evan O'Brian said.

Tuition will also increase by 4 percent for all students at the Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville campuses.

Also, tuition will increase by 12 percent for in-state students and 6 percent for out-of-state students in the School of Medicine.

However, there will be no increases in student fees.

"We did put a priority on trying to shoulder as much of the load as we could," Nordenberg said.

The tuition increases are expected to cover 40 percent of the school's $70 million budget gap due to the cuts from Harrisburg.

Despite the bad news, it could have been worse.

The initial cut was going to be about 50 percent in overall funding, but it ended up being 32 percent.

RELATED LINKS

More Local News
More Budget News
More Reports From Ross Guidotti

FOLLOW US:
KDKA On Facebook
KDKA On Twitter
Follow KDKA Personalities