University of Minnesota tuition hike approved

​The University of Minnesota regents have included a 5 percent tuition hike for resident undergraduates and 8.2 percent for nonresidents in what's being called a "provisional" budget for next year, along with program cuts, wage freezes, and dumping a larger share of health care costs onto employees.

The tuition hikes are part of a recurring trend nationally that puts the screws on middle-class families.

The College Board reports that average tuition at a public, four-year U.S. university was about $2,800 in 1988. By 2008, that number climbed to about $6,500 a year--all while the median family income has stalled at $33,000. CNN published a chart recently to show the disparity:

CNN

The blue represents national median income. The red line represents tuition hikes.

​At the U's Twin Cities campus, the tuition is even higher, roughly $4,897 per semester for in-state students last year, and $7,047 for out-of-state students.

The new budget passed 9-2 this morning.