Published: July 10, 2009 12:58 pm      

NEW – Penn State president proposes 2 tuition scenarios

NEW KENSINGTON — Penn State president Graham Spanier says the school’s tuition could jump nearly 10 percent for state residents who attend its main campus if Gov. Ed Rendell’s latest state budget proposal is approved.

Spanier today spelled out two financial scenarios to the school’s trustees, who are scheduled to vote on a tuition increase later in the day.

The tuition increase for in-state, main campus students will be 4.5 percent, or $295 per semester, if Rendell’s March budget figures are used. But the increase will be 9.8 percent, or $640 per semester, if Rendell’s newer proposal – which doesn’t include federal stimulus money for the school – is enacted.

Spanier wants the trustees to approve an either/or tuition increase that will depend on which state budget is passed.