Baylor Board Sets Tuition, OKs New Student Housing

Baylor Regents at their October meeting set tuition and fees for the 2003-2004 academic year, approved funding for construction of the University's first campus residential facilities in almost 40 years and endorsed modifications to degree programs in the School of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Music.
Tuition for undergraduate students entering Baylor in the fall of 2003 will be $16,750, a 6.7 percent increase over this year's rate of $15,700. Continuing students who enrolled prior to fall 2002, when a flat-rate tuition structure was instituted, also will see a tuition increase of 6.7 percent to $432 per semester hour. The overall increase for continuing students, including room, board and other fees, is 5.2 percent. Freshman and transfer students will pay 5.4 percent more for tuition, fees, room and board.
The 2003-04 increase is the smallest in seven years, excluding last year's transition to a flat-rate tuition, administrators said. Annual increases in the 1990s averaged 7.9 percent and in the 1980s averaged 9.93 percent.
"The Board of Regents is very concerned about ensuring that Baylor remains an outstanding value and within the reach of its historic constituency," said David Brooks, vice president for finance and administration. "More than one-third of the revenue generated by the tuition increase will be applied to student scholarships. The increase also will ensure that the University continues to make progress in achieving Baylor 2012 imperatives."
The proposed first phase of new campus housing, the "North Village," will be located between the Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building and the new Dutton Avenue parking/office facility. The site development creates strong pedestrian connections to the main library, the core campus and dining facilities. 
The approximately $30 million North Village will house 600 students with living options not currently available in on-campus housing, including suite-style units with living rooms, semiprivate baths and kitchens in 50 percent of the units. The Village will consist of four three-story buildings that will be served by a central community center. Student support and programming space will be on the ground floor of each building. Groundbreaking is set for late spring, and the facilities are expected to be ready for occupancy in fall 2004.
The Board also approved the addition of a bachelor of science in electrical and computer engineering (BSECE) and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering (BSME) to the existing bachelor of science in engineering (BSE) degree. 
The number of hours required to earn a bachelor of music education (BME) degree was reduced from 148 to 135-143, and a second required course in religion as well as three to 11 semester hours of a foreign language were added to the BME general studies requirements.