Governor Tom Corbett said funding for Pennsylvania's state and state-related universities in the 2012-2013 fiscal year will be restored, thanks to stronger than expected state revenues, but, Corbett said, universities still need to do their part.
"While we are able to restore funding to our universities this year, we must also ask the leaders to be wise about spending taxpayers' money. With that in mind, our state and state-related universities have agreed to keep tuition as low as possible in this coming school year," he said.
School presidents have promised minimal, if any, tuition increases. University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said he is thankful for the restoration in funding. "Pitt is known as one of the country's best value universities, and this budget will better position us to maintain that balance between affordability and quality," Nordenberg said.
Corbett's 2012-2013 budget initially called for a 30% cut for the four state-related schools: Penn State, Temple, Lincoln University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Leaders at the universities worried that such a cut would create a need for drastic tuition increases, thereby making college unaffordable for many Pennsylvanians.
The state House and Senate have approved the governor's $27.7 billion spending plan and it now awaits the governor's signature. The new fiscal year starts Sunday.