The University of Louisiana at Lafayette announced a fee increase effective for the 2016 Spring Semester. Although tuition will remain the same, students will pay approximately $25 more per credit hour for a general and auxiliary fee implemented for the 2015 Fall Semester.
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved fee increases in July 2015 for seven of its universities under state Act 377. For the 2015 Fall Semester, UL Lafayette charged students half of the additional amount of fees it was eligible to collect.
“With ongoing uncertainty about the state’s finances, the latest fee increase is needed so we can continue to invest in our academic core, including faculty, classrooms and labs,” said Jerry Luke LeBlanc, vice president for Administration and Finance at UL Lafayette.
An in-state undergraduate student enrolled in 12 credit hours for the 2016 Spring Semester will pay $4,419 for tuition and fees. That’s $291 more than the 2015 Fall Semester – a 7 percent increase.
UL Lafayette remains below the Southern Regional Education Board average for tuition and fees, according to LeBlanc. He said UL Lafayette’s tuition and fees are comparable to those charged by Louisiana Tech University and the University of New Orleans, its peer research institutions in the state.
Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management, said the University remains committed to helping students afford college, while expanding its reputation as a top research institution.
Like it did for the 2015 Fall Semester, the University will allocate at least 5 percent of the new fee collected to provide students with need-based financial assistance, according to Bowie.