Pitt’s Board of Trustees today approved tuition increases of 6.5 percent for in-state… Pitt’s Board of Trustees today approved tuition increases of 6.5 percent for in-state students and 4.5 percent for out-of-state students.

The increases are part of the University’s $1.64 billion fiscal year 2008 operating budget, which includes more than $632 million in research funding as well as a 3.5 percent raise for faculty and staff.

Students in Pitt’s schools of law and pharmacy will see similar tuition rate increases, while students in the School of Dental Medicine and out-of-state students in the School of Medicine can expect their tuition to rise by only 3 percent.

According to the University, the tuition increases are the result of dwindling state support. Pennsylvania’s contributions to Pitt increased by just 2 percent for fiscal year 2008 and account for just over 11 percent of the total budget. State appropriations accounted for nearly a third of Pitt’s funding in 1975.

The 2008 budget also raises tuition at Pitt’s branch campuses by rates of 4 percent for in-state and 2 percent for out-of-state students.