Students walk through the quad area of North Campus at UMSL. (Photo by August Jennewein)

One local media outlet looked at the news positively: “University of Missouri students can expect a more modest tuition increase than anticipated in the next academic year.”

Curators of the University of Missouri System agreed on Monday to raise tuition on its four campuses by 3 percent, beginning with the summer session starting May 14. The increase is less than half of what was proposed last week. But it will still leave a $47 million gap in the system’s budget.

“Over the next several weeks we will be working on the state-mandated cuts to our budget,” said Tom George, chancellor of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “Our highest priority is to maintain and enhance the quality of the student academic experience.”

System officials have said the cuts could include layoffs, program cuts and unfilled vacancies, but no specifics are available yet.

The tuition increase means an undergraduate student at UMSL will pay $265.60 per credit hour.

Increasing costs also have hit private universities in the St. Louis region. Lindenwood University announced Monday a 3.8 percent increase boosting its tuition to $410 per credit hour. Also on Monday, St. Louis University announced that it was increasing its tuition by 3.8 percent and freezing salaries of faculty, staff and administrators.