This story was one of my most research intensive stories thus far. Milligan announced a 5 percent tuition increase for 2016-17. I collected data, crunched the numbers, talked with administration and did some comparisons.
Detailed charts are available after the article.
The total cost of attending Milligan will increase 5 percent, or $1,820, next year, according to an email from President Bill Greer. That increase includes tuition, fees, room and board.
Jacqui Steadman, vice president for business and finance, said the “main drivers of the increase” were increases to contracts, such as insurance, security and food services, and a pay raise for all faculty and staff. Faculty and staff have not received a pay raise in two years, Steadman said.
The addition of Milligan’s new engineering and physician assistant programs was not a factor in the increase, Steadman said. The costs of those programs were covered by restricted gifts given specifically for those programs. Tuition from those new students will cover the salaries for the additional professors.
Steadman said Milligan is reducing costs through a new energy saving project next year. The program will save 6.8 percent on the physical plant budget in 2016-17. Small cuts have also been made across the budget, such as a reduction in travel and training costs.
This year’s increase is larger than last year’s, however, the annual increase from 2013-14 to the present has been less than in previous years. Recent increases have been about 3 or 4 percent while increases were about 5.3 to 6.6 percent between 2006-07 and 2012-13. Steadman said reducing cost increases has been a priority for Greer.
Milligan’s cost has increased 65 percent between 2005 and 2015, while the inflation rate was 21 percent during the same period. Steadman said the increase is due to the addition of new programs and services over the past decade. Unlike with the engineering and physician assistant programs, Milligan did not receive restricted gifts to start new majors in the past.
On average, according to the College Board, private four-year institutions in the South increased 56 percent over the past decade. Public institutions increased 97 percent.
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