Auditor: College tuition hikes exceed inflation, income

From fiscal 2004 to 2006, Missouri’s average annualized tuition for four-year public institutions was the highest of the Big 12 Conference states at $5,829, according to the report.

Compared with bordering states, Missouri was second only to Illinois, where the average annualized tuition was $6,472. The four University of Missouri campuses ranked fourth through seventh for highest tuition levels among the 44 doctoral and research institutions in the Big 12 and contiguous states, according to the report.

Average tuition in the Show-Me State was also slightly above the national average of $5,491 for FY 2005-06. However, Missouri’s average tuition increased 27 percent from FY 2004-06 – the lowest rate among Big 12 states.

Auditors also found that funding for state tuition assistance grants in Missouri decreased from 2002 to 2005. In both 2000 and 2002, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave Missouri a D+ for the affordability of higher education. And in 2004, Missouri and 35 other states received an F from the independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

The General Assembly approved a 2 percent increase in higher education funding for FY 2007, but the increase isn’t likely to offset inflation or funding cuts from previous years, according to the report.

Four-year institutions that responded to the report noted that amounts reported for tuition include mandatory student fees for nonacademic services, such as recreational facilities and health care expenses.[[In-content Ad]]