Clarification on New Tuition Plan and More

Excerpts From the Board of Regents June Agenda

In short, tuition for all new in-state students at UGA will be $1,946 a semester and tuition for all new out-of-state students will be $9,619 a semester, which they will be guaranteed for four years.  All current in-state students will be paying $1,910 for Fall 2006, an increase from the previous $1,819, however, this rate is subject to increase yearly.  All current out-of-state students will be paying $8,325 for Fall 2006, an increase from $7,929.   

Also, student fees are increasing from $495 per semester to $536, an increase not covered by the HOPE scholarship.  Housing and the meal plan will also be more expensive this Fall.  On the bright side, the price of a parking permit will remain the same.

Congratulations Current UGA Students…

Although tuition will be fixed for all new incoming freshman, tuition will continue to increase for students currently at the University.  This means the currently enrolled students will face yearly tuition hikes, possibly higher than those in the past, while newer students will be paying a lower rate.  It will be interesting to see if and how this plan will stand up in court, as it involves a certain group of people paying more for the same service than another group of people.     

News Round-Up

To summarize events that have taken place in the past month:

1. The Diamond Dogs defeated South Carolina to advance to the College World Series in Omaha.  After dropping their first game to Rice, UGA will face the Oregon State Beavers in an elimination game Monday.  The game will be televised live at 1:00 PM on ESPN.
2. The Class of 2010 is projected be the largest class in UGA history, however they will not be the most qualified class, being surpassed by the highly qualified Class of 2009.
3. Work continues by University officials to house a proposed national bio-defense research laboratory.
4. The Board of Regents is currently considering changes to the Regents’ Test.

With the renovation of Rutherford and Mary Lyndon Halls, the conversion of Payne Hall to non-housing space, and the construction of a new dormitory on the Reed Quad, it will be interesting to see how the on-campus housing situation is in a few years.  The renovation of Mary Lyndon will result in less housing as the rooms are enlarged; the replacement of Payne by a new, smaller, dorm will also result in less housing.  The rooms in Rutherford will be enlarged but more rooms will also be constructed.  Coupled with other proposed changes in housing, such as the revamping of the Hill Community and possible renovations in the high-rises, housing on campus could be drastically changing over the next few years.  With Maymester complete, it will be interesting to see how the grade distributions fall with the new Plus/Minus System in effect.  Also pending is when the Spring 2006 Key will be available on the SGA website.