Tuition for Washington’s colleges and universities could be set sooner thanks to a bill passed by the state House this afternoon, which now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Senate Bill 5079 cleared the House with a unanimous 48-0 vote and would have a calculation that determines the maximum allowable increase in tuition made in October of each year.
WSU has supported the bill throughout the legislative session. Currently, the Office of Financial Management, the state’s budget office, provides public institutions of higher education with that allowable tuition increase percent in March for the academic year beginning the following August. By making the calculation in October instead, colleges and universities are provided the ability to set and communicate the actual rate of tuition sooner than before. In turn, this can help students who are applying to college know what their cost of attendance will be months before they do currently.
The bill, which passed unanimously from both chambers of the Legislature, now awaits a signature from Governor Inslee.