MSU campus.jpg

An aerial photo of MSU's campus from the southwest, with the south complex of Wonders, Case, Wilson and Holden halls at the forefront.

(Courtesy MSU)

EAST LANSING, MI -- Students at Michigan State University will be paying more to live on campus next school year.

The university's Board of Trustees at its Friday meeting approved a 3.9 percent increase to the basic room-and-board rate. The change means the double-room residence hall housing rate increases $136 to $3,636 per year and the basic meal plan for residence hall students rises $194 to $5,170 per year, setting the 2013-14 rate at $8,806.

The hike is slightly lower than last year's and is the lowest increase since the 2000-2001 school year, making MSU's room-and-board rate the ninth-lowest among the 12 Big Ten universities.

“As in the past, we work very hard to keep housing and dining rates affordable for our students,” said Vennie Gore, MSU vice president for auxiliary enterprises. “The on-campus living experience is essential to the academic success of the student. It’s a mission we take very seriously and are pleased at the services we provide for a reasonable price.”

The 14,000-plus on-campus residents at MSU will get utilities, high-speed Internet, laundry service, trash and recycling services, and on-site staff service for about $39 a day next school year, Gore said. Renovation work will close Butterfield and Landon halls for the duration of the academic year.

The MSU Board of Trustees also approved unchanged rates for Spartan Village and University Village Apartments, a pair of apartment communities owned and operated by the university. It is the third straight year that one- and two-bedroom university apartment rates will remain at $650 and $774 per month, respectively.

Other news from the board's meeting:

Follow Brandon Howell on

and on Twitter: @BSHowell88. Email him at brhowell@mlive.com or call him at 517-318-1615.