Ohio State U. to hike tuition 8.5 percent

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 24 (UPI) -- Ohio State University is proposing a maximum state-allowed tuition hike, ending a three-year tuition freeze, officials said.

OSU undergraduates in Columbus paid $8,679 in tuition and required fees in the fall. The recommendation that went to trustees Tuesday would boost the charges to $9,420 this coming autumn, the Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday.

The figure amounts to an overall increase of 8.5 percent, including a fee for the new Ohio Union that students approved, the newspaper said.

Ohio's public colleges were not allowed to raise tuition in the past two school years, but legislators ended the freeze last summer after the state budget provided less for higher education than originally anticipated.

"Any time you raise tuition, it hurts. But when you look at places such as California and Texas, where students are facing increases of easily 20 percent or more, this doesn't seem so bad," said Ben Anthony, the president of the Undergraduate Student Government.