NEOUCOM raises cost of tuition for students

ROOTSTOWN -- Students at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine will see their tuition rise by 8.5 percent in the next school year beginning July 1.
For in-state students, the tuition will rise from $23,307 to $25,288 a year. For out-of-state students, the rate goes from $46,614 to $50,576.
The increase was approved by NEOUCOM's board of trustees Friday and follows a 14 percent tuition increase last year.
The school has 460 students, and its tuition is on a par with the six other medical schools in Ohio, said spokesman Patrick Crowley.
A decline in state funding is a major cause of the increase.
"NEOUCOM must cope with many outside factors, such as rising utility rates and reductions in state funding," said Dr. Lois Margaret Nora, president and dean of the College of Medicine.
The tuition increase is expected to generate $1 million in new revenue.
The board also approved increasing the student general fee for next year, raising it from $775 to $1,125, primarily to cover the cost of printing services. Students hadn't been charged for copying material in the past.
In other business Friday, trustees extended Nora's contract through June 30, 2009. She came to NEOUCOM in October 2002, and her original contract was to expire June 30, 2007.