Why the Increase

The State of Michigan has disinvested in MSU dramatically over two generations. The state has shifted the cost to MSU students and their families. In 1965 the state covered 80 percent of the cost; today it's about 40 percent.

By exercising tuition restraint in the 1990's, MSU gave up dollars others were raising through tuition hikes. If we had hiked tuition at the rate of our Big Ten peers, we'd have $74 million more each year. If we had hiked tuition at the rate of our Michigan college peers, we'd have $35 million more annually.

A student at MSU has traditionally been supported by fewer state dollars than a student at Wayne State or U of M. MSU receives $6,794 per student from the state; Wayne State receives $8,654 and U of M receives $8,096.

Proposed appropriation support per student at MSU for 2005-06 is equivalent to 1994-95 levels in real dollars and to 1983-84 levels in constant dollars.

Over the past three years alone, state appropriations to MSU have dropped 12 percent with an additional two percent projected for this year. In order to address this change, MSU has internally reduced or reallocated in excess of $66 million eliminating over 500 positions supported by our general fund and experiment station/extension service sources.

Health care costs for MSU's faculty and staff are almost double their 1999-2000 levels.

Extraordinary recent increases in energy costs and a volatile and uncertain energy market requires that we address the price of energy.

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