The state Council on Postsecondary Education on Tuesday set a cap of 4.65 percent for a tuition increase at Western Kentucky University next year as WKU president Gary Ransdell said the university is still deliberating about how much of a hike to seek as it works on a budget amid state funding cuts.

The current tuition and fee base rate at WKU is $9,282, which would increase $432 to $9,714 if the full 4.65 percent is enacted. 

The Council on Postsecondary Education has meetings at venues around the state and Tuesday met at the Augenstein Alumni Center at WKU. The council approved maximum tuition increases for all state universities on a sliding percentage scale that would produce a $432 increase for the state’s six comprehensive universities, including WKU. The state’s two research universities, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville, were approved for 5 percent increases, which would produce $547 and $527 increases, respectively.

Prior to the meeting, Ransdell said the university is still finalizing budget details and would decide in the next few weeks how much of a tuition hike it would seek approval for from the WKU Board of Regents. 

Kentucky’s universities are facing 4.5 percent state funding cuts for the next two years and are dealing with cuts of around 2 percent enacted by Gov. Matt Bevin for this fiscal year. The legality of those cuts is being challenged by Attorney General Andy Beshear in state court.

WKU’s Board of Regents on Friday approved withdrawing up to $1.5 million from the university’s reserve fund to make up for the shortfall for the current fiscal year.

Bevin had proposed a 9 percent cut for the next two years for higher education – a proposal that drew wide criticism from some legislators and university presidents who were fixtures in Frankfort during the recent legislative session. Council President Robert L. King addressed the “difficult” few months faced by college and university leaders who engaged in “complicated, and at times tension-filled” discussions with Bevin’s office and legislators.

He said the consequences of the cuts “will be quite serious,” for campuses and students. He said the tuition hikes “will help, but not fully address, the cuts.”

According to documents prepared for Tuesday’s meeting, WKU has the highest resident undergraduate tuition and fee base rate among the comprehensive universities at $9,282 for 2015-16, followed by Northern Kentucky University, $8,736; Eastern Kentucky University, $8,150; Morehead State University, $7,966; Murray State University, $7,608 and Kentucky State University, $7,364. The rates at University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are $10,936 and $10,542, respectively.

The council’s meeting packet included a chart comparing net prices for degree-seeking undergraduates in Kentucky and surrounding states, showing Kentucky’s net price of $11,288 was the seventh lowest among the eight states, with only West Virginia ($8,825) with lower net prices. Illinois topped the list at $16,969, followed by Ohio ($15,544), Virginia ($15,420), Missouri ($12,610), Indiana ($12,324), Tennessee ($11,380), Kentucky and West Virginia.

Also approved Tuesday was a maximum $7 per credit hour increase for Kentucky Community and Technical College System schools as well as a $2 per credit hour “safety and security fee” per credit hour for KCTCS schools. The fee would be used on various programs to increase “safety and security at over 70 KCTCS locations,” according to a council budget document.

— Follow city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter @BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.