Clemson University trustees approved Wednesday a tuition increase unlikely to be topped by any other college in the state (--) 41.8 percent, or $1,500 more per year for in-state undergraduates.
The increase will take effect this fall to offset what Clemson trustees and administrators said was a $14.3 million loss of state financing, and to provide revenue to boost Clemson into the ranks of the nation's top 20 public institutions.
Earlier, Clemson officials had predicted an increase of 13 percent to 18 percent.
"I expect people to look beyond the number," said Clemson President Jim Barker. "We're faced with a decision to move forward or back away from our goals. The trustees decided Clemson's quality is going to increase. That's what it boils down to."
The tuition increase also reflects the state's growing emphasis on scholarships, Barker said.
"The state has done well in supporting education by giving money to families," Barker said. "So we're having to turn to families to manage the budget cut, as well as improve if we're going to maintain quality."
Tuition for out-of-state undergraduates will rise to $11,284, up $1,500 a year or 15.3 percent. About one-third of Clemson's nearly 17,000 students come from outside South Carolina.
The tuition increase will generate an additional $20 million for the school, said Scott Ludlow, Clemson's chief financial officer. The money will offset a $6.2 million cut in direct state aid to the school and additional cuts to Clemson's agricultural extension service, and expand academic assistance programs and research efforts. Clemson puts its drop in state financing at $14.3 million because it includes one-time money it gets from other state financing sources.
The increase sets a single-year record for the school, officials said.
"That is so big of an increase, I think that's going to make it a school for the rich kids," instead of the diverse group of students Clemson now has, said Katie Flickinger of Columbia, who will be a junior.
"I don't see why theirs has to be so much of an increase compared to USC's."
Until Wednesday, it looked as though USC might have the highest tuition increase among public colleges. On Friday, USC trustees are likely to approve a 10.4 percent increase for all its campuses.
The increase means in-state USC undergraduates would have to pay $392 more a year, or $4,160.
Barker of Clemson said that "in the long term, Clemson is going to be measured by its quality. We need to make sure we will be able to match that."
The school will set aside $1 million to provide grants of as much as $1,200 each to needy students, Barker said.
Flickinger said the grants would only "take a nibble" out of tuition costs. In recent budget years, state colleges that charged tuition rates lower than the average among their peers (--) in Clemson's case, research institutions (--) have been allowed to increase tuition only as high as the national higher education price index. This year, the index stands at 3.7 percent.
But the Legislature removed that cap this year as a concession to schools that would have difficulty making up budget cuts.
Clemson's tuition has increased a total of 15 percent during the past five years, compared with a 20 percent total for USC. Staff Writer Christine Schweickert contributed to this report.