MARYVILLE, Mo. — A new Missouri law puts a cap on how much public higher education institutions can raise tuition. And those institutions are promptly meeting that cap.

Self-imposed student fees are making up the difference.

Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents on Friday raised tuition by 4.1 percent. This, along with a hike in fees approved by the Student Senate earlier this year, represents a $23 difference per hour — or nearly 11 percent — more than last year’s undergraduate, in-state tuition and fees rate of $207.60 per credit hour.

Senate Bill 389 caps tuition at the rate of the consumer price index, which according to the Missouri Department of Higher Education is 4.1 percent. However, fees established by the student body are excluded from the cap.

The student wellness (health) and activity fees were moved from a flat rate, $140 and $70 respectively, to a per credit hour fee. The standing per credit hour fee increases will affect the classroom renovation, technology fee and textbook fees, representing a total increase of $7 per credit hour. The wellness and activity fee add up to another $7 per credit hour.

“One can argue, and I would, that attaching it to credit hours is better for the poorer student,” said Northwest President Dr. Dean Hubbard of the switch from flat fees. “The student likely to take a reduced load because they have to work in order to pay their way through, pays less than the student able to pay the full load. I think this is moving in the right direction.”

Aaron Baker, the former student regent who chaired a committee that investigated student fees, said several members of the committee spoke out against raising fees. Particularly, off-campus and online students struggled with the per credit hour wellness fee and a student activities fee.

“It’s almost easier for students not to look at fees,” said Mr. Baker of the initial reaction from the group of students who gathered to learn about how fees work. “Because, if they don’t look at it, they don’t know how much they’re paying.”

Board president Bill Loch inquired from admissions director Bev Schenkel how other schools are responding to the tuition cap.

“What I have heard is that everybody is going for the cap,” she said, drawing from information she gleaned at a recent state meeting of university officials.

Jimmy Myers can be reached

at jimmym@npgco.com.