Western Michigan University set tuition and fees for the next academic year on Wednesday, at a meeting where the Board of Trustees also approved a new contract with the school's Teaching Assistants Union.
Tuition
Undergraduate and graduate students at Western Michigan University will see tuition rise next year.
For in-state undergraduates who are taking at least 12 credit hours but not more than 15, tuition will rise about four percent. A full-time undergrad from Michigan starting school this fall will pay about $12,500 in tuition and fees for the year. Recently enrolled out-of-state undergrads will pay a quarter more for their classes than Michigan residents.
Graduate students from Michigan will see tuition rise more than eight percent. The rate increase for out-of-state grad students is lower, at about two percent. Western is doing away with a one-time $300 enrollment fee for all students.
TAU Contract
After intense negotiations this spring, Western Michigan University has approved a new contract with its teaching assistants’ union. Members, who are graduate students who teach at Western, will get a two percent pay raise each year for the next four years. The contract also formalizes TAU members' right to use spring and fall tuition waivers for summer courses. Teaching Assistants Union President Claire Herhold says that’s a big help for grad students paying for summer sessions.
"That had in the past been an enormous financial burden for our members, and so this helps to ease that," Herhold said.
"It’s always good to reach an agreement with any union," said Western Michigan University Vice President for Business and Finance Jan Van Der Kley said on Wednesday.
The Teaching Assistants Union has about 500 members. The new contract with Western begins in August.
