University of Missouri curators vote to raise tuition by 3 percent at all four campuses

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The cost of college is going up again. Monday morning, the University of Missouri's Board of Curators approved a 3-percent jump for the four schools in that system, which includes UMKC.

For in-state undergraduate students, that amounts to $7.75 per credit hour, or $230 per year.

"We just don't have money we can pull out of our pockets every day to pay for it," said UMKC sophomore Dyamond Johnson, who is helping her mother pay for it all. "I stress out pretty much every day from it."

She expects next year to be even worse.

"I'm probably going to have to get a job and focus on classes to help my mother pay for the bills too," said Johnson.

The 3-percent tuition hike is just one sign of the money struggles within the University of Missouri system.

"We need help. We need more money," said University of Missouri Board of Curators chair David Bradley.

The board has to cut $47.1 million by June. Up to 245 full-time positions -- spread out among all four campuses -- could be lost to make ends meet.

"We are trying to do our best to save every single role that we've got, but unfortunately the budget challenges presented to us just won't allow for that to happen," said Bradley.

The board hopes to eliminate vacant positions first, but further losses are likely.

"We also have to identify where our priorities are and make sure we've got the people there to support the attainment of those priorities," said Bradley.

It's a balancing act of making budget  and managing the cost of higher education.

"I definitely need to make use of my time here and make sure that I don't waste it," said UMKC junior Sam Casey.

The Board of Curators says that while the cost of education is going up, 82-percent of in-state students receive financial aid.