PUEBLO — On June 11, CSU Pueblo announced that a new budget had been approved that includes a 3% tuition increase.
“We’re reinvesting that in student success initiatives. And we’ve got four in particular that we’re getting ready to launch this fall," said Timothy Mottet, President of CSU Pueblo.'
Mottet explained that, despite many assumptions, none of the money from the tuition increase will be used to make up for COVID-19 revenue losses. The university says that although they felt the effects of the pandemic financially, they anticipated a 10% decrease in enrollment and only saw a 4% decrease.
The new tuition fund will help kick start a mentorship program, a program to better prepare students for work after graduation, and a student research project.
“Those are creating a model, a learning and a support system, that allow more of our students to be successful,” said Mottet.
Still, any increased intuition can cause concerns for students. It will cost $238.20 for a full-time CSU Pueblo student taking 15 credits per semester.
“There are students you know... that need financial help... I do think it’s going to affect them in the long run, maybe when they are working and need to pay student debt," said one CSUP senior.
According to Student Loan Justice, people in Colorado owe more student loan debt than the entire state's budget.
CSU Pueblo's new budget includes $183.3M from the state to increase the salaries of faculty and staff by 3%.
