Ohio University sets 4-year tuition rate for new students

ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio University trustees are softening the blow of hefty tuition and campus housing increases for new students next year by guaranteeing the rates won’t go up again during the students’ four-year careers.

The planned increases involve 5.1 percent in tuition for new students this fall, 5.3 percent for campus housing and 1.5 percent for meal plans.

The Columbus Dispatch reports total annual costs under the plan total $22,400.

The deal is part of the university’s “Ohio Guarantee,” a four-year tuition freeze announced last year to help remove uncertainty over college costs.

The paper says some private colleges in Ohio offer similar guarantees but this is the first by one of the state’s 13 public colleges and universities.