The Budget, Finance and Business Operations Committee of the Board of Governors met Tuesday via conference call to consider proposals from the 11 state universities for a tuition differential at each institution.
The Legislature earlier this year raised the base tuition – that is, the tuition that all undergraduates must pay – by 8 percent. The Legislature also passed a bill, signed by Governor Charlie Crist, that allows each institution to add a tuition differential.
Under this new statute, the total tuition increase – the base tuition plus the differential – cannot exceed 15 percent at any institution in the State University System.
This means that each institution has the option to add a tuition differential of 7 percent for the 2009-10 academic year.
The boards of trustees at five of the 11 institutions have already approved a tuition-differential plan. Each plan would raise tuition at the institution by 7 percent. Those five institutions are:

■ Florida A&M University

■ University of West Florida

■ University of North Florida

■ University of South Florida

■ University of Central Florida

The committee Tuesday recommended that the full Board of Governors accept those tuition differential plans. The Board of Governors meets on Thursday, June 18 at the University of Central Florida.
The boards of trustees at the remaining six institutions will take up tuition-differential plans in the next few days. Each plan would raise tuition at the institution by 7 percent. Those six institutions are:

■ University of Florida

■ Florida State University

■ New College of Florida

■ Florida Atlantic University

■ Florida Gulf Coast University

■ Florida International University

The committee Tuesday recommended that the full Board of Governors, when it meets next week, accept those tuition differential plans, subject to approval by each institution’s board of trustees. Each board of trustees is scheduled to have made a decision before the Board of Governors meets June 18.
Collectively, these differential plans would raise $23.8 million in tuition for the State University System institutions.
Of that $23.8 million, $17.9 million would go to improve undergraduate education and $6 million will go to additional scholarships for needy students.