Written by Cole Edwards, Multimedia Editor

VSU students might be soon feeling a little pinch in the pocketbook, but they should be happy they don’t go to UGA.

VSU is facing a 2.5 percent increase in tuition for the fall semester after the University System of Georgia’s board approved on April 14 a tuition rise for 30 of the state’s colleges and universities.

Fortunately, VSU falls on the lower end of the spectrum, as schools like Georgia Tech and UGA see the biggest increase at 9 percent.

VSU will see a $4.27 per credit hour increase for Fall 2015, while out-of-state tuition will go up $15 per credit hour for students who have up to 15 hours. Overall tuition for in-state students will now be $2,613 per semester, while the out-of-state rate will be $9,222.

Tuition for full-time, in-state graduate students will increase $85 per semester, while out-of-state tuition for full-time grad students will increase $306 per semester.

VSU students will also be seeing increased fee rates, including a slight rise in the activity and athletic fees per semester as well as a $15 increase in transportation, bringing it up to $35 per semester.

The capital budget also revealed a $3.5 million budget for the upcoming renovation of Pound Hall.

On campus Wednesday evening, VSU students were abuzz over the news of the tuition increase.

“I feel like if they’re going to increase tuition, then we should get more perks,” Ben Westberry, senior business management major, said. “It’s ridiculous the amount of money we pay, and (we) still can’t get free parking on campus.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t affect me personally, it just affects my parents, but I mean, increase of tuition isn’t very good in general,” Danielle Dillavou, junior deaf education major, said.

System officials stated that higher increases at institutions are due to higher expenses.

In years past, state funding covered most of the system’s cost, with tuition funding only 25 percent. However, state funding cuts over the past few years have led to tuition covering more expenses, which has moved the ratio to around a 50-50 contribution with state funds.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Board of Regents has approved a 2.5 percent rate for most colleges.