By: Jeremy Pittari, Magnolia Tribune
(Photo from Shutterstock)
The Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning recently approved the next fiscal year’s budget, which included increases in tuition and other fees.
Fiscal year 2027 state allocation
In total, the IHL saw a $70 million increase in state funding compared to the previous fiscal year. Within that allocation, the Legislature provided $12 million for $2,000 pay raises for professors and adjunct professors.
John Pearce, Senior Commissioner for Finance, said the total also includes $40 million in capital expense funding. The IHL will utilize $6.5 million of capital expense funds for a road project near its facility, leaving $33.5 million for the campuses. IHL’s road project is set to get underway in July.
Universities will receive their part of the funding based on a formula that considers two aspects.
“So, it was to be divided half by square footage of the facilities and half by headcount,” Pearce described.
He noted that the $2,000 salary increases to professors and adjunct professors will be provided at the discretion of each institution’s leadership.
“If the institutional executive officer decides not to make an award of $2,000, that is what you’re authorizing them to do or not to do,” Pearce described. “Also, the bill allows this to be pro-rated by equivalent, so if there is an adjunct professor that is teaching one class you wouldn’t drastically increase the cost of that one professor.”
The pay raises have been requested for several years to bring the pay scale closer to those offered at institutions in surrounding states.
“I know that since 2019 it’s been a priority of the Board to ask for salary increases to address some of the differences between our regional peers and it seems like the Legislature acknowledged that and we are very grateful,” Pearce said.
Increases were also provided for the state’s retirement system and health plan. Pearce noted that variances in employment numbers at each institution means each institution will receive a different amount.
“When we look at the total allocation, you’ll see there are differences among the percentages that each university is receiving,” Pearce explained. “But all of that is due to the differences in that $2,000 salary increase pool that the Legislature put in the bill.”
The state appropriation also includes an increase to student financial aid of $2.1 million to meet expected demand.
UMMC will see an increase of $3.7 million, which not only includes the pay increases, but also capital expense and opioid settlement funding.
Additional funding totaling $75 million was provided by the Legislature for bond projects through state funds instead of state general obligation bonds, which the Legislature has historically used, Pearce said.
“This was something that we did not receive in the previous year, and so we were very grateful to receive this funding this year,” he added.
Funding totaling $100 million was provided to UMMC for its cancer center project, which was part of the organization’s $247 million total state allocation.
Tuition, room rate increases
Some universities also received IHL Board approval to increase tuition and other fees.
Before presenting those requests, Pearce asked that they be approved while waiving the need for the typical 30 day review requirement, which would have brought the matter back before the Board in a subsequent meeting.
Four institutions and the University of Mississippi Medical Center requested increases to their state resident tuition rates.
Jackson State University requested an increase of $198, bringing its rate to $9,408. Mississippi State University’s increase will be $391, rising to $10,845. The University of Mississippi will increase tuition by $288 to $10,278. The University of Southern Mississippi saw the largest increase at $400, bringing a year of tuition to $10,684.
UMMC will increase tuition by $317, bringing a year’s worth of tuition to $10,897.
Tuition at a university can include fees such as technology, capital expense or student activity fees.
“What we require of the institutions is when they have these fees, that whenever they advertise tuition, these fees either have to be summed up and part of the presentation, or they have to be disclosed so that you’re aware of what the full charge will be to be enrolled in the university,” Pearce explained.
JSU requested the addition of a $120 capital improvement fee, while the Mississippi University for Women asked for a $300 technology fee.
Room rates for double occupancy are also increasing at some universities, however two are leaving their rates flat, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University. JSU is decreasing the room rate by $2,944 to $6,778. JSU had the highest rate at $9,722 before the requested decrease.
“This has to do with the Walthall (Lofts) and Courthouse facilities that the university has leased for the last two years, and that lease is expiring.” Pearce told the Board. “They were above average rates for the universities and now these will come more in line with peer institutions.”
The highest room rate increase was seen at Ole Miss where the rate increase request was $390, now totaling $7,490.