Kent State joins others in raising tuition

KENT, Ohio (AP) — Kent State University is joining most other public colleges in the state in increasing tuition for the fall, but the school will put all the money raised by the 1.5 percent increase back into financial aid.

Trustees approved the increase today as part of Kent State’s $638 million budget for the 2013-2014 school year.

Kent was one of the last of the state’s tax-supported universities to set tuition rates for the fall.

Youngstown State, the University of Akron, and Bowling Green increased undergraduate tuition by 2 percent, the most allowed by law. Ohio University announced a 1.6 percent increase and Miami University, 1.5 percent.

Cleveland State announced a 2 percent increase that will be rebated yearly to students who stay on track to graduation.

Ohio State, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Toledo are freezing tuition for the coming year.

Kent State officials said the entire $4.75 million the increase is estimated to generate will be applied to scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid for students. The tuition increase is Kent’s lowest in four years.

The university also decided to charge an overload fee for students who take more than 16 credit hours a semester. That fee will raise tuition for about 10 percent of Kent’s undergraduates.