ThePennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors today approved a $362 increase in resident, undergraduate tuition for the 2002-03 academic year.

The 9 percent increase will raise the amount Pennsylvania students – who comprise more than 90 percent of enrollment – will pay to attend any of the 14 State System universities to $4,378 for two semesters.

Throughout that time, tuition at the State System universities has remained the lowest among all four-year institutions in Pennsylvania, while students, alumni and employers have consistently given the schools high marks for the quality of education they offer.

The Board approved both new tuition rates and the State System’s 2002-03 operating budget at its regular quarterly meeting held today in Harrisburg.

“In this extremely difficult year, some tough choices had to be made,” said Board Chairman Charles A. Gomulka. “We have worked hard to develop a balanced budget that will keep our universities affordable while ensuring that they will continue to offer a high-quality education to the citizens of Pennsylvania.

“The technology fee will be used to help ensure our students have access to the latest technology in a cutting-edge, learning environment and will be well prepared for the high-tech careers of the 21^st century.”

The State System will receive $439 million from the state this year to help fund the universities’ day-to-day operations. The System also will receive $16.8 million for special projects and slightly more than $1.5 million for programs designed to help recruit and retain minority and other under-represented students and to help them succeed in college. All of the figures represent 3 percent reductions from 2001-02 totals.

The special projects funding will support four separate initiatives. The largest amount – $15 million – will go toward the implementation of the shared integrated information network that will link the 14 universities, branch campuses and the Dixon University Center.

The shared system is being designed to improve services to students and faculty and to increase operating efficiency at the universities. It is expected to produce significant cost savings over the next decade and beyond and should, over time, make it easier for students to register for classes, to apply for financial aid and to make tuition and other payments.

More than $1.2 million in special projects funding will be used to support the System’s performance funding program, now in its third year. The program rewards universities for outstanding performance in several key areas, including student advancement, fiscal management and diversity initiatives. The Board also voted to reallocate an additional $7.5 million from the System’s base appropriation for performance funding, meaning a total of nearly $9 million will be available for the program this year.

Another $200,000 in special project funding will help support the System’s five-year collaborative effort to improve science and mathematics education in the Commonwealth. The initiative is being funded largely through a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, one of the first of its kind to a public university system.

The final $350,000 in special funding will be used to operate the Labor Education Institute, a cooperative educational venture of the State System and labor organizations across Pennsylvania.

The new tuition rate for resident undergraduate students will be uniform across the 14 state-owned universities.

Nonresident undergraduate tuition will range from $6,568 to $10,946 next year, depending on a variety of factors, including the university and program in which a student enrolls. The nonresident undergraduate rate also was increased by 9 percent.

Full-time resident, graduate tuition at the System universities will increase by $654 in 2002-03, to $5,254 for the full academic year. Nonresident, graduate tuition will increase by $854, to $8,408.

All students will pay the new instructional technology fee. Full-time resident students, both undergraduate and graduate, will pay $100 a year, or $50 a semester. Full-time nonresident students will pay $150. Part-time resident students and those attending summer classes will pay a $25 fee; the part-time and summer fee for nonresidents will be $38.

Room and board rates and required fees are determined by each institution’s council of trustees, and vary from campus to campus. The average cost of attending a System university, including tuition, room and board and all required fees, will be around $10,000.

With more than 98,600 students, the State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.