The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved a 10 percent tuition increase for students at nine universities across Louisiana for fall 2013.  
For Nicholls students, a 10 percent increase would approximately raise tuition $550.80 from the current $5,511.20 to $6,062.00 in Fall 2013.  
The average annual tuition cost for schools in the UL System will be around $6,013, which is 20 percent cheaper than other schools in the southern region that charge around $7,390.  
While the board approved the increase, it is still in its first phase of approval since each university must meet certain performance measurements before the increase can take effect.  
Raising tuition and mandatory fees requires approval by the state legislature, and Granting Resources for Autonomy and Diplomas, better known as the GRAD Act, and allows schools to raise tuition each year if schools meet their performance goals.
School performance reports will be presented to the Board of Supervisors for approval in April and then to the Board of Regents in July, which is when schools will learn if they can raise tuition.  
UL System President Sandra Woodley said, “No one wants to raise the price for our students, but it is an unfortunate necessity at this time. Our universities are cognizant of the need to offset these rising costs in the form of additional financial aid and scholarships.”  
As tuition continues to rise, students at Nicholls have the opportunity to apply for various scholarships that remain unclaimed.  The majority of those scholarships are available in the weekly edition of Inside Students sent to the campus community via email or on links to the office of financial aid’s website at http://www.nicholls.edu/financial-aid/scholarships.
Brandy St. Pierre, assistant director of the office of financial aid, said while a large majority of students take advantage of the scholarship opportunities offered at Nicholls, there are many unclaimed scholarships that students should become more aware of.     
“We do have opportunities available each semester for our first-time freshmen and continuing students,” St. Pierre said.  “On average, we offer about 300 to 400 scholarships to new, first time freshmen.”  
Nicholls recently offered 331 academic scholarships to high school seniors, with a value of more than $6.6 million over the next four years.
In addition to the scholarships offered at Nicholls, students can also apply for nationwide scholarships found through Internet searches.  St. Pierre said many students are deterred from nationwide scholarships since these applications often require essays and proposals in order to compete with a large number of students in the nation.  
 “Internet searches are time consuming, but the benefits are out there and those scholarships are most likely more money than any local organization would offer,” St. Pierre said.  
The majority of scholarships available to Nicholls students can be found in the weekly edition of Inside Students via email.  Students should remain aware of scholarship deadlines and certain grade point averages.  The priority deadline to apply for FAFSA is April 15 for the fall 2013 semester.  
“Students should skim through the list and take the time to go through each of the scholarships offered and see what’s there,” St. Pierre said.