This year’s freshmen and sophomores at the University of Michigan will hand over extra cash for tuition, paying approximately $11,659 for the year, up 5.6 percent from last year.

The increased cost for in-state 2009/2010 students continues a trend of rising tuition over the course of the last several years at the university and is a response to decreased state funding in higher education, university officials said. The U-M expects to receive about $316 million from the state this year, down $10 million from last year.

The U-M is not alone in its decision to increase tuition this year; its rate increase is about average in the state. Western Michigan University’s tuition cost is up 5.5 percent, while Saginaw Valley State University's is up 6.3 percent. Wayne State University raised tuition 6 percent, and Michigan State University upped its tuition by 5.2 percent.

Still, not all U-M students have quietly accepted rising tuition rates in recent years. A student-formed group called Stop the Hike, which recognizes that education accessibility and affordability are important concerns among students, has taken action by lobbying administrators, executive officers and regents in an effort to keep tuition affordable.

“The trend of rising tuition over the past several years is both alarming and concerning,” said Adam London, a rising junior at U-M who handles public relations for Stop the Hike. “Substantial decreases in funding from the State have crippled the University’s ability to maintain reasonable tuition and to ensure accessibility to education, which is, without a doubt, extremely troubling. The increasing cost of tuition causes students and their families’ hardships in an already difficult economic climate.”

In an attempt to help equalize the tuition cost increase, U-M will be providing more financial aid options than ever to students this year.

“The U-M remains committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need for undergraduate students from Michigan, and that means we must, at a minimum, keep pace with the growing need,” said U-M spokesperson Kelly Cunningham.

On June 18, the University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a $1.46 billion general fund budget for the 2009/2010 academic year, designating $118 million for financial aid, the largest investment in need-based financial aid from central administration in U-M history. For undergraduates, the decision amounts to an 11.7 percent increase in financial aid.

“We know that these are tough times,” Cunningham said. “That’s why an increase in financial aid has been such a priority for the administration and the Board of Regents. We also believe that with some of the additional federal programs, there very well could be less of a loan burden for many students.”

Despite the university’s efforts to make education more affordable for students, London isn’t convinced that the increased financial aid will alleviate enough students’ funding concerns.

“Although the university has made significant efforts to mitigate this [tuition] increase through scholarships, this increased financial aid fails to impact students across the entirety of the socioeconomic spectrum,” he said. “Many students have been forced to work additional jobs, take out new loans, postpone or turn down graduate level opportunities, or even, in many unfortunate cases, re-examine whether Ann Arbor is the appropriate place for them to continue their education.”

Cunningham said U-M Provost Teresa Sullivan is working to address tuition difficulties by asking families facing financial hardship, such as those with sudden job losses and other economic setbacks, to contact the Office of Financial Aid to have their situation reviewed.

U-M is also continuously making efforts to cut costs within its budget, including making conservative budget estimates for the future in the face of economic uncertainty. State support for fiscal year 2011 is unclear as of now.

“Forecasts for the state economy indicate there will be a slow recovery; the federal stimulus funds that are coming into the state will run out by 2011,” Cunningham said. “While we do not know what the state will do with higher education funding down the road, we believe we must be prepared for the possibility of further cuts once the federal stimulus funds are spent.”