UB Officials Seek Tuition Hike for Some Graduate Programs

University officials traveled to Albany last week and sought legislative approval to charge higher tuition for certain graduate programs, a move they said will allow UB to improve the strength of the graduate school.

Under the proposed plan, tuition for master's degrees in business administration as well as in public health would be raised an unspecified amount from the current level of $5,100 per year.

UB Provost Elizabeth Capaldi said the programs are currently under priced, compared with similar degree programs at other public institutions.

"We are way under priced in the MBA program, and that hurts our ability to compete with programs that have more money," Capaldi said.

"The point is you raise tuition where you're under priced," she added.

According to a recent survey that examined 30 schools belonging to the Association of American Universities, UB has the cheapest tuition for business administration programs compared to other participating schools.

Professional programs in UB's graduate division, such as the medical school or the law school, already charge a higher tuition because they are professional programs.

Capaldi said the tuition increases in the business administration and public health programs would support the hiring of new faculty for those departments.

"Most public institutions have twice the faculty we do," Capaldi said of the business administration program.

UB is also seeking to hire 20 new faculty members to teach in the master of public health program, Capaldi said.

The plan was met with some opposition among graduate students. Vinay Bendre, president of UB's Graduate Student Association, said he recognized the necessity of the hike but hoped it would be minimal.

"I strongly feel that all the burden from the tuition hike should not be transferred to the students," Bendre said. "SUNY should come up with some alternatives so as to absorb the major part of the hike."

"But at the same time, SUNY has to maintain its status as an institute providing quality education at affordable cost," Bendre added.

Capaldi said UB plans to implement the tuition hikes in a way that would not be unfair to students who are economically disadvantaged.

"We would give enough financial aid so as not to restrict access," she said.