Tuition increase concerns were expressed among graduate and professional students at the Monday meeting of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. 

David Holger, associate provost and dean of the Graduate College, conveyed the number increase that could affect graduate and professional students in the next academic year.

Holger expressed the increase in graduate students to be 1.81 percent for instate students and 3.2 for nonresidence.

“The reason for the increase is for the services delivered to graduate students,” Holger said.

Holger added the tuition increase is larger for those in the architecture program at an increase of 6.42 percent for in-state residents and 5.1 percent for nonresidents. 

However, the architecture program is not the only one facing a large increase in tuition. 

“Veterinary Medicine face a 4.5 percent increase … because of the increase in the cost of veterinary medicine education is going up higher than other costs,” Holger said. 

Holger noted that tuition is not the only increase that is to be implemented for all students. Two mandatory fees posing an increase include a $2.80 per year increase in student organization fee, which will be used to fund student organizations and $3.00 per year for CyRide.

“[CyRide] wants to add new routes … increasing services on certain routes such as 1 Red, 6 Brown and Grey,” said Spencer Hughes, president of the Government of the Student Body. 

Hughes added that CyRide is funded 60 to 65 percent by students, 10 percent by Iowa State and 25 to 30 percent by the city of Ames. 

“All the proposed fees will be decided by the Faculty Senate at the December board meeting,” Holger said. 

An additional fee discussed at the meeting is anticipated decision with the international matriculation fee. 

The international matriculation fee is a one-time fee to be added in order to provide funding for new international undergraduate and graduate students coming to Iowa State. 

Holger said the committee of 13 individuals deciding the fee has met several times and held open forums to decide the importance of the fee. 

“Both the University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa have matriculation fee,” Holger said, “The advantage is that the funds can’t be diverted to other groups.”

Mahdi Ramezani, graduate student in mechanical engineering and member on the international fee committee, said the fee will be voted on Wednesday, Nov. 20. 

Graduate enrollment increase is of interest to senate members and the number of faculty to accommodate those additional students.

“The disciplines track well with where graduate numbers are; where we are growing in undergraduate students is where we are growing in graduate students,” Holger said.

Holger expressed the difficulty is not with hiring faculty and adding students, space is something that is not a quick turnaround.

“Space is something that takes years to build,” Holger expressed, “Even if we had the money and faculty, it is space that weighs the heaviest.”