Today, the UNC Board of Governors approved a range of tuition and fee increases for UNC institutions to take effect beginning fall 2009. UNCW's tuition will increase $106 (from $2,459 to $2,565) for resident undergraduate students, placing it fifth in the cost of tuition among the UNC system schools.

"Because we understand the financial pressures many families face in the current economic environment, 40 percent of this increase will be designated for financial aid," said UNCW Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo. "The other 60 percent will be used to address critical needs of the university, such as services for students with disabilities, new faculty positions, a mathematics lab, operating funds for the counseling center and an additional advisor for an ever-growing number of transfer students."

"Compared to many other universities in the UNC system, UNCW has historically been underfunded. The current increase is high, because these funds are needed to preserve and provide the quality of education that UNCW students expect and deserve," said Mark Blackwell, UNCW student body president. "UNCW is not only one of the top values in the state, but it also is ranked as one of the top values in the nation. Value comes from low cost and high quality, and UNCW will continue to provide both to its students."

Mandatory fees also will increase about $77 beginning fall 2009. These fees will finance specific university programs such as improved health services, student activities and CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) requirements. A new debt service fee of $256, also effective fall 2009, will finance the expansion of the student recreation center. "While this expansion may appear, on the surface, to be a luxury," said Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Pat Leonard, "the existing recreation center, built in the late 1990s, was designed to accommodate fewer than 10,000 students. Since that time, UNCW's student body has grown to more than 12,600 students, and we now have twice the number of students living on campus. The demand for recreational services has far exceeded our ability to provide them; this expansion is critically important to our students."

Provost Brian Chapman applauded the decision, stressing the important role physical exercise has on academic performance. Last year, Active Living Research referenced 14 different studies that analyzed the link between overall participation in physical activity and academic performance among 58,000 students. Those studies found a direct, positive correlation between regular participation in physical activity and improved academic performance.

UNCW ranks as one of the top 25 "Best Values" among public universities in the nation and one of the top three in North Carolina, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance. UNCW also ranks as one of the 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities in the nation, according to The Princeton Review.

The UNC system was recognized as one of the lower cost in-state tuitions in the country. Said Robert Franek, Princeton Review vice president and publisher, " …the economic crisis and financial downturn have presented sobering challenges both to families struggling to afford college and to higher education institutions struggling to maintain their programs in the face of budget and funding shortfalls. We are pleased to present these schools for all they are doing to provide outstanding academics at a relatively low cost of attendance and/or generous financial aid."

Media contact:
Cindy Lawson, Marketing and Communications, 910.962.7259 or 910.279.0479, lawsonc@uncw.edu