MARQUETTE, MI-- Northern Michigan University has restructured its flat-rate tuition program.
On Friday the Board of Trustees approved the 2016-2017 tuition and fees schedule, which includes a 4.2 percent increase—or $406—for full-time resident undergraduates. The flat rate will be offered for a maximum of 16 credits instead of 18, and NMU will also create a differential tuition rate to account for cost variations between lower- and upper-division courses. The lower-division tuition rate, for students who have obtained fewer than 56 credits, will increase by $74 per semester. The upper division rate, for students who have obtained 56 or more credits, will increase by $332 per semester.
Even with the 4.2-percent increase NMU is projecting a $2.3 million shortfall due to an anticipated enrollment decline, an increase in the minimum wage, and mandated overtime rule changes. The university will also face a 30-percent utility rate increase from the Marquette Board of Light and Power, which is using the money to fund construction of the new Marquette Energy Center.