<p>Orlando Sentinel article
posted by Luis Zaragoza on May 22, 2008 2:34:05 PM</p>
<p>University of Central Florida trustees signed off today on tuition and fee increases that will raise costs for some students by about $270 a year.</p>
<p>The average annual tuition and fee costs at UCF will be $3,947 based on the new rates, up from $3,677 in fall 2007. That's based on 30 credit hours a year.</p>
<p>The totals include a new "tuition differential" fee that adds about $35 to tuition bills, but not all students are on the hook for it.</p>
<p>Students already enrolled as of July 1 are exempt. The money raised -- about $1 million the first year -- will be used to improve undergraduate education, which could include hiring more instructors to reduce class sizes.</p>
<p>The general tuition hike is covered by the Bright Futures merit scholarship, but the tuition differential fee is not.</p>
<p>The final word on the increases belongs to Gov. Charlie Crist. The 6 percent general tuition hike is included in the state budget bill that awaits his signature. The tuition differential is part of another bill also awaiting his approval.</p>
<p>The fee is being introduced at a rate of 3 percent of base tuition for new students, including freshmen and transfers. UCF could have started off charging 15 percent of base tuition based on the legislation that allows the school to charge the fee. But university officials said they agreed to a lower start-up rate after discussions with student government leaders so that students would not be hit with a steep new charge. Eventually, the fee could rise to up to 30 percent of tuition, but the rate could not increase more than 15 percent each year. </p>
<p>University presidents pledged that 30 percent of the money raised by the 6 percent tuition hike will go to need-based aid.</p>