The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University has voted to refund the 1.74 percent increase charged to in-state, main campus undergraduate students this fall.
“When the Board of Governors set tuition earlier this year, they did so with the understanding that in-state tuition would hold steady if additional state appropriations were made available,” said Dr. Cale Fessler, vice president for financial planning and administration. “After the veto session last month, Governor Nixon released higher education funding he had previously restricted, so the Board was able to refund the increase, continuing our commitment to keeping college education affordable.”
At the end of the legislative session this spring, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon instituted spending restrictions of nearly $850 million statewide, pending the results of the legislative veto session. Because of the uncertainty of state appropriations, the Board of Governors approved a tuition increase of 1.74 percent, or $3.35 per credit hour, for in-state undergraduate students and Griffon Rate students attending courses in person on the St. Joseph campus.
After several of Nixon’s tax cut vetoes were upheld last month, the governor released more than $140 million for education in the state, including approximately $650,000 for Missouri Western. The release of those funds allowed the Board of Governors to refund the tuition increase.
The decision will reduce the tuition for an in-state undergraduate student taking 12 credit hours this semester in person on the St. Joseph campus by a total of $40.20. Dr. Fessler said his staff is working now to adjust student accounts and financial aid awards to accommodate this reduction. Students will be able to view adjustments online by the close of business on Oct. 20. If the reduction results in a credit balance, refunds will be issued on Oct. 24.
Tuition for the spring semester will also be billed at the lower rate.
Even before refunding the increase, Missouri Western’s tuition for in-state undergraduate students was the third-lowest among public four-year universities in the state, Dr. Fessler noted.