Silver City, NM - The Board of Regents at Western New Mexico University voted to pass a modest increase in tuition for the upcoming academic year, a vote that all Board members verbally indicated they were reluctant to approve.

Tuition for undergraduate, in-state students will increase by $7.79 per credit hour, while student fees will decrease by $1.12 per credit hour, equivalent to a 2.71% increase in tuition and fees for the 2017-2018 academic year.

With the new tuition and fee schedule, full-time, New Mexico resident students will pay $3,412.13 per semester, leaving cost of attending WNMU among the lowest in the country.

The Board of Regents also approved a continuation of the existing Tuition Guarantee program which allows full time students earning a 2.0 grade point average a set tuition schedule for eight semesters.

In addition to voting on tuition, board members also approved the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

GÇ£This budget is about looking towards the future,GÇ¥ said Dr. Joseph Shepard, WNMU President. GÇ£WeGÇÖre going to continue on the path of tightening our belts.GÇ¥

Budget saving measures include the shifting of three learning centers located in Gallup, Truth or Consequences, and Lordsburg, to an inactive status. In recent years, the centers were experiencing lower face-to-face enrollment, while enrollment in online programs increased.

GÇ£We care deeply about this university and we care about its future,GÇ¥ said Dr. Dan Salzwedel, Regent President. GÇ£We want to sustain it at a high level."

The next Regents meeting is scheduled for May 11 in Silver City.

Western New Mexico University has served the people of the state of New Mexico and its surrounding areas as a comprehensive, regional, rural, public coeducational university since 1893 and serves a student body diverse in age, culture, language and ethnic background.