For UNC, what does 'free of expense' mean?

The Charlotte Observer
April 6, 2011

Two trends are worrisome for those who realize how the University of North Carolina system helped bring this state out of economic torpor and fueled the progress of the late 20th century.  One is that tuition has increased significantly - trebling at some campuses since the start of the 21st century.  The other is that state support for the 17-campus UNC system has declined as a percentage of what it costs to teach undergraduates - from 81 percent in 1990 to 64 percent today.

Why are those numbers alarming? Because they are at odds with the spirit and the letter of the North Carolina Constitution. That document declares, in Article IX, Section 9 that "The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense."

The state budget has been in trouble for years, prompting increases in tuition even as state support for UNC campuses has declined as a percentage of the system's operating budget. And with legislators coping with a $2 billion-plus shortfall for next year, cuts in higher education could be 15 to 20 percent. Some legislators are talking about a 30 percent cut. 

Cuts of these magnitudes would be more than dramatic. They would, as UNC President Tom Ross observes, lead to a fundamental shift in the state's philosophical approach to higher education. That's because North Carolina has long been a low tuition state. By keeping tuition low, the state has not had to provide large sums for financial aid to help students go to college.  Click here to read more.