Concordia College expects to remain one of the least-expensive private colleges in Minnesota even after a $1,400 tuition increase approved for next year.
Concordia will charge $26,950 next year for annual tuition and fees, a 5.4 percent increase.
The increase was approved by Concordia's board of regents after a committee that includes faculty, staff and students made the recommendation, said Omar Correa, vice president for enrollment.
"We tried to be very conscious of the economy, and at the same time trying to be conscious of not compromising the quality of education that our students are used to," Correa said.
For the current year, Concordia was the third-least-expensive college of the 17 campuses in the Minnesota Private Colleges Council.
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Concordia's tuition and fees cost $25,760 this year, compared to the average of $29,506 that private colleges charged statewide.
Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona were the least expensive.
Concordia has consistently been the second or third least-expensive private college in the state for nearly a decade, said John Manning, director of marketing and communications for the Minnesota Private Colleges Council.
Information on what those colleges will charge next year is not yet available.
However, few students at Concordia pay that sticker price.
About 98 percent of Concordia students receive financial aid they don't have to pay back, Correa said.
The average full-time freshman paid 57 percent of Concordia's tuition and fee rate this year, or $14,683, Correa said.
Todd Robley, Concordia student body president, said college officials worked hard to keep the tuition increase as low as possible.
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"I think they are making a great decision to keep the tuition increase to a minimum while still remaining competitive with other private colleges in the region," Robley said.
Tuition will also increase for students at Jamestown (N.D.) College, by nearly
5 percent next fall. The total for annual tuition and fees is $16,780.
This year, 99.6 percent of Jamestown College freshmen received financial aid they don't have to pay back, said Tena Lawrence, dean of enrollment management. The average freshman paid $10,211 to attend college, including room and board.
Annual tuition for undergraduates at the University of Mary, which has campuses in Fargo and Bismarck, is $12,800 next fall. This past year, the average freshman paid about $4,460 to attend
U Mary after receiving financial aid.
Tuition at North Dakota's four-year public universities can increase up to 3.5 percent next year, as allowed by the state Board of Higher Education. The amount approved for NDSU is about $6,661 for tuition and mandatory fees for a North Dakota resident.
Next year's tuition rate hasn't been finalized at Minnesota State University Moorhead, but officials expect an increase of just over 5 percent, putting annual tuition for full-time students at $6,134. The mandatory fees have not been finalized yet.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
