MARSHALL — With enrollment falling at the 37 Minnesota State system campuses, the board of trustees approved a tuition increase of 3% this fall.

“Fall enrollment numbers are still coming in as students register over the summer, however we are like most of the campuses across the state, anticipating a slight enrollment decline for fall semester,” said Bill Mulso, Vice-President for Advancement at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) and Executive Director of the SMSU Foundation.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the system’s board of trustees backed a $2.1 billion budget for the system and that enrollment has dropped by a fifth in the last decade.

The Star Tribune also said Minnesota State officials had promised to freeze tuition again, but only if the state Legislature granted their request for $246 million more for the next two years. They were granted a 4.6% two-year increase or a third of the amount required.

“In the original budget request, the Minnesota State Board of Trustees made the commitment to freeze tuition if the request was fully funded. The final higher education appropriation funded only about 1/3 (38%) of the campus operating support budget request,” said Noelle Hawton, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer in the Chancellor’s office.

Now students across the Minnesota state system will now have to find a way to balance the increase.

“It makes it harder. I understand they have to raise it in order to balance the rising cost of other things, like building maintenance, but it’s a cost I don’t have, that I now have to find,” said Elizabeth Ripple, a student at SMSU. “Tuition keeps increasing, but the things we use to pay for it, as far I know, has not. That’s the bigger issue that college students are struggling with.”

According to Bill Mulso the increase at SMSU will be approximately $225 for a full-time undergraduate for next year.

“Tuition for a full time student is approximately $7,720 annually,” Mulso said.

The increase according to Hawton will cover inflationary cost increases and allows programs to stay open.

“Without increasing tuition, programs would be in jeopardy, as would faculty and staff positions. The average university student who receives state grants will see an increase of $6 over last year for an average of $2,118 per year. The average university student who does not qualify for the state grants will see a $231 increase over last year for an average of $7,518 per year,” Hawton said.

It’s not an inconvenience, but it certainly isn’t what I’d like,” said Cat Schmidt, a student at SMSU. “Is the school system not making enough money so they have to dig deeper into students’ pockets. Some of whom are already struggling to pay tuition. It’s ridiculous.”

“This increase was made necessary in order to meet our commitments to serve our students and meet workforce requirements in Minnesota. The increase in state funding and tuition will support inflationary cost increases at both colleges and universities. It should also be noted that in the last seven years university tuition has only been increased three times and remains the lowest tuition in the state,” Hawton said.

Mulso said the increase will allow SMSU to keep the existing programs and staff they provide students this upcoming year.

“Our goal is to keep costs as affordable as possibly for students while managing the operating and personnel expenses balance with our state appropriation,” Mulso said. “We consultant with our student leadership throughout the year to keep them informed on various funding scenarios as the legislative session carries on we build our budgets each year.”