Univ. of Pittsburgh raises tuition 8.5 percent

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees approved an 8.5 percent tuition increase for in-state students today, a move done to offset a reduction of state funding.

School officials said a 19 percent reduction in state funding cut $40 million from the university’s operating budget. The school, founded in 1787, had a total of 28,823 undergraduate students in 2010.

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said the deep reductions in state support made it difficult to craft the 2011-12 budget, which totals just more than $1.9 billion.

Along with the tuition hike, the new budget includes 2 percent salary increases for members of the university’s faculty and staff, but raises for employees with base earnings in excess of $40,000 will be deferred to Jan. 1.

Officials say cost-cutting will cover about 60 percent of the state reduction with the tuition increase picking up the rest.

Some students at the school will see even bigger hikes.

The 8.5 percent increase is for students at the Pittsburgh campus, but tuition at the School of Medicine will rise 12 percent for in-state students.