Pitt increases tuition, budget

Pitt trustees voted Monday to increase in-state tuition by 2.5 percent and out-of-state tuition by three percent, along with an increase to the University’s operating budget.

In-state students enrolled in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences will see their tuition increase by $442, while out-of-state tuition will increase $864, starting in the fall.

The trustees on the Budget and Executive Committees also set both the operating budget and capital budget for the coming fiscal year. The operating budget increased from $2.1 billion to $2.2 billion — a 4.7 percent bump. Trustees also approved a $251 million capital budget — more than double last year’s — for renovations and maintenance.

This approved budget comes with the assumption that Pitt will receive state funding equal to last year, though the funding is still pending approval. In a press release, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher pointed to decreasing state funding as a factor behind the tuition increases.

“As always, our goal is to control cost while expanding opportunity for our students, our faculty and our community,” Gallagher said. “Our endowment returns are helping to mitigate the drastic effects of reduced state support and to keep tuition increases from being any greater.”

The release said financial aid available to students will increase by the same amount as tuition.

Students at regional branch campuses will also see a tuition increase of two percent, excluding Titusville, which will see no change.

State-related university officials have long criticized Pennsylvania’s decreasing support for the state-related system. The state’s recent budget gives Pitt $146 million, flat from the previous year.