Price hike

University of Central Florida student Jean Carlo Sanclemente has no idea why his tuition has recently gone up, he only knows he is now paying more for his education than he ever has.

"I'm taking two classes over the summer and it's like $920, and that's a lot more than I expected at UCF," he said. "Now I am seeing all these crazy fees."

Sanclemente will be paying even more next year, when UCF tuition and fees will increase by 15 percent.

The decision came after Florida Legislature voted to raise tuition by 8 percent at all of the state universities. In addition to this increase, the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees all of the state's universities, recently met at UCF to approve a request from the UCF Board of Trustees to raise the cost of differential tuition an additional 7 percent for the 2010-11 academic year.

Associate Director of UCF News and Information Chad Binette said this differential tuition applies to most undergraduates, but not graduate students. And by law, 70 percent of that differential tuition has to be spent on activities that directly support undergraduate education, while the other 30 percent goes toward need-based financial aid.

"With the increase next year, we will certainly work hard to make sure all of our students have the financial aid they need to achieve their educational goals," Binette said.

State University System of Florida Director of Communications Bill Edmonds said the final decision whether to use the differential lies with the UCF Board of Trustees, who pleaded a strong case to the Board of Directors.

Edmonds said this differential tuition will not affect Bright Futures scholarships because Bright Futures does not apply to any tuition differential.

One thing it will directly affect — a typical, in state undergraduate student who does not rely on scholarships and takes 30 credit hours per year. They can expect the cost of tuition and fees to increase from $4,525.50 to $5,020.50 in the 2010-2011 school year.

Although this is a $495, or 10.9 percent, increase from the previous year, tuition at Florida's public universities is still among the lowest in the country. UCF is ranked 48 out of 50 states for cost for attending school next year.

"We are way down at the bottom and in tuition and fees," Edmonds said. "And it is likely that this tuition increase won't budge us at all, in relation to what other states charge at their universities."

But students like 22-year-old Sanclemente said he is not happy about the tuition increase he will have to pay for the five classes he plans on taking in the fall.

"I would have appreciated if UCF could have at least told me there was an increase like this coming," he said. "So I would have known to watch out and save my money."

Education cuts

UCF's state funding has been cut about $80 million since July 2007. Tuition revenues help UCF offset those state budget cuts and offer a high-quality education. For more information on the University of Central Florida,

visit www.ucf.edu.