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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida university and college students could pay about $400 more per year in tuition starting next fall under a proposal approved Thursday by a state education committee.
Almost a third of the money brought in by the tuition increase would go to need-based financial aid under the plan. The rest would be used to hire and retain faculty in an effort to change an embarrassing statistic: Florida's universities have the worst student to faculty ratio in the country.
State universities are concerned about fewer tax dollars coming their way, with the state's impending budget crisis. Last year's university budget was basically flat after cuts in the fall. But after inflation and student growth were factored in, officials said schools essentially saw their budgets decrease by 9 percent.
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