MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WMOT) -- It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but Tennessee’s college students were badly hurt by the recession.
Research out today from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission shows that the number of students likely to need financial aid to finish a university degree rose by nearly one-third in the five years between 2007 and 2011.
In spite of that finding, the Commission voted Thursday to recommend a new round of tuition increases for the state’s universities, community colleges and technical schools.
Commission members are suggesting increases of up to six percent for state universities and a tuition hike of up to three percent for community colleges and tech schools.
The Commission is also recommending that the State of Tennessee increase its contribution to higher education. The commission is suggesting the state spend an additional $35.5 million, an increase of 4.6 percent.
The Commission warns that if the state doesn’t provide additional revenue, then Tennessee university students will likely see double-digit tuition increases next year.
Tennessee’s public universities and community colleges have already increased tuition by an average of more than 41 percent in the last five years.
