A rising number of public US universities are charging higher tuition fees for “harder” degrees to reflect their greater teaching costs, research has found. More than 140 institutions are using “differential tuition” plans for mathematics, science and business courses, 19 per cent more than did so in 2006, according to a survey by Cornell University’s Higher Education Research Institute. USA Today reported that this number was rising as states cut spending. “It’s been a lifesaver,” said Donde Plowman, dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. At her institution, the cost of each credit hour for a business or engineering degree is $50 (£31) more than that of other undergraduate programmes. The extra money has funded a new career centre, the renovation of student facilities and the hiring of extra staff. Some, however, worry that higher tuition costs could put off low-income students.
Source: Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=419782&c=1