Penn State tuition to rise

In-state students attending Pennsylvania State University's main campus will pay $26,362 in tuition, fees and room and board next year if the board of trustees approves the charges at its meeting Friday.

The charges include a 3.39 percent increase in tuition - $264 per semester - and a 4.2 percent increase in room and board.

Not all Penn State students will pay that amount. Percentage increases vary across Penn State's 19 undergraduate campuses. At Penn State Abington, tuition will rise 1.85 percent or $116 per semester, the university said.

On average across all of the campuses, tuition will go up by 2.76 percent – the lowest percentage increase since 1967, school officials said.

Out-of-state students attending the main campus will pay $38,936 in tuition, fees and room and board next year if the measure is adopted. That includes a 2.87 percent tuition increase, or $400 per semester.

President Rodney Erickson said in a statement that the university cut $35.9 million in expenses before resorting to a tuition increase.

The fee structure was discussed at the board's finance committee meeting on Thursday morning at Penn State's Fayette County campus. The full board will meet here at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Also possible on Friday, the board could have some announcement about the civil suits filed against the university over child sex abuse by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Officials have said the bulk of the suits could be settled this month. The board's legal and compliance committee met in private Thursday afternoon, then declined to answer questions about the suits.

But there were indications that an announcement could be coming as soon as Friday.

Board member Keith Eckel, former chair of the committee, said "significant progress" had been made in the negotiations.

Contact Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com or follow on Twitter @ssnyderinq. Read her blog at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/campus_inq.