Coe, Cornell and Mount Mercy set tuition increases for 2013-14

Several private colleges in eastern Iowa will see tuition and fee increases ranging from 3 percent to 5.5 percent next year.

The governing boards of Coe College and Mount Mercy University, both in Cedar Rapids, and Cornell College, in Mount Vernon, all recently approved tuition rates for 2013-14, officials with those schools said.

Students at Coe College will see an overall increase of just less than 4 percent next year, when taking into account tuition, room and board and student fees. That total cost for 2013-14 is $43,590, up from $41,920 this year. Base tuition will increase to $35,400, up from $33,900 this year.

The average financial aid package awarded to incoming freshmen at Coe in fall 2012 was more than $31,000, officials said.

Cornell College students will see an increase of 5.5 percent to comprehensive tuition and fees next year. Those charges include $36,205 for tuition, $8,500 for room and board and $225 for student activities, for a total cost of $44,930.

Cornell officials are mindful of the impact of the current economic situation on students and their families, a spokesman said in an email, and they have worked hard to maintain one of the lowest costs among peer schools in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. Cornell has budgeted more than $24 million for student financial assistance in 2013-14, officials said.

Mount Mercy University undergraduate students will see a 3 percent increase to tuition and room and board fees next year, the lowest cost increase in 25 years for students at Mount Mercy, officials said.

Mount Mercy tuition in 2013-14 is set at $26,160, with room and board of $8,075.