 
Next Year's Budget
|
The board of trustees has approved the University's fiscal year 2001 budget.
The budget calls for a 9 percent increase in University scholarships ($58 million compared to $53.2 million this year). These funds will complement Project SLU 2000's enhanced Presidential Scholars Program, which will increase to 30 from 10 the number of full-tuition scholarships for freshmen entering this fall.
University officials said the increase in funding for scholarships demonstrates SLU's commitment to rewarding academic excellence in keeping with its Catholic, Jesuit values. It also ensures that a Saint Louis University education is affordable for all qualified students.
During the 1999-2000 academic year, approximately 80 percent of SLU students received scholarship/financial aid. The average financial assistance package offered, including monies from all sources, was $14,891 per student.
"Additional funding for scholarships will help us continue to draw students of the highest caliber," said University President Lawrence Biondi, SJ. "This commitment, along with the academic initiatives of Project SLU 2000, will help us meet our goal of becoming the finest Catholic university in the country."
Project SLU 2000 is a $96 million initiative that aims to achieve heightened academic credentials for entering freshmen, sustained improvements in student retention, increased success in research, and an enhanced campus environment and infrastructure. The initiative also will provide 100 additional assistantships for graduate students during the next three years.
The budget includes an average increase of 6.1 percent for undergraduate tuition, room and board. Annual tuition for full-time undergraduate students will be $18,400, an increase from $17,230; $21,540 for full-time law students, an increase from $20,130; and $31,430 for medical students, an increase from $29,930. Tuition for graduate students will be $600 per credit hour, an increase from $570.
Tuition at Saint Louis University covers approximately two-thirds of the cost of providing a student's education. The University's endowment and the support of alumni, benefactors and friends make up the difference.
"The value of a Saint Louis University education far outweighs the costs of attendance," Biondi said. "Challenged by outstanding faculty and our Catholic, Jesuit-centered curriculum, students graduate from Saint Louis University as women and men for others, prepared and energized to be effective leaders of social change in their communities, across our nation and around the world."
Hal Deuser, director of SLU scholarship and financial aid, recommends that students and their families apply for scholarships and financial aid no later than early February.
SLU's office of scholarship/financial aid is sponsoring scholarship/financial aid workshops at Busch Memorial Center on the following Sundays: Jan. 23 and 30, and Feb. 6, 13 and 20. The workshops begin at 2 p.m. and offer question-by-question assistance in completing the 2000-2001 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These workshops are free, open to the public and no reservations are required. For more information about the workshops, call 977-2350.
  |