The University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted Wednesday to increase tuition systemwide by up to 5 percent and gradually raise tuition for engineering, business and computer science upperclassmen at this university.

The first action passed 9-3, while the second passed 10-2.

Both measures will go into effect at this university for the next academic year, raising in-state tuition by $388 and out-of-state tuition by $1,395 for full-time undergraduates. Current sophomores and juniors enrolled in the majors selected for differential pricing will see an additional $700 added to their bill as they go into their junior and senior years, respectively.

“Most students have an expectation that they’re going to be paying X amount of money to attend this college,” student regent Raaheela Ahmed, who voted against both measures, said of the new tuition structure. “Current students did not expect and are not prepared financially or mentally for this increase.”

The tuition hikes come after a 2 percent midyear tuition increase this past semester. Tuition has increased 3 percent annually since 2011, following a four-year tuition freeze under former Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley.

“An attempt is made to strike a balance between trying to keep tuition affordable and manageable and having enough money coming in to give students what they need,” university system spokesman Mike Lurie. “The 5 percent increase is a reflection of an especially challenging budget year.”

Student Government Association President Patrick Ronk said that while officials made the prospect of a 5 percent tuition increase public months ago, university officials announced the differential pricing plan Monday — two days before the vote.

“To see it all come out like this and thrown at students at the very last second is really upsetting to me,” Ronk said. “This is a substantial increase in tuition, and to tell them on Monday that this is something the university wants and the decision will be made on Wednesday is more or less saying we don’t care what you think about it, which is appalling, honestly.”

The short notice was partially why the proposal angered many on the campus, said sophomore Robert Kornfeld, who started a change.org petition against the selective tuition increase that garnered more than 1,100 signatures by the time the meeting began.

“It feels like it is very sudden and we had no say over it, and if they want to attract the best and brightest, then they’re going to have to be competitive, and this is a deterrent,” the materials science and engineering major said.

Ahmed said 89 percent of the 126 students who filled out her Google form survey about the proposal opposed it, a figure she shared with the board.

Many students said it was unfair to charge students more money to pursue what they’re passionate about.

For freshman marketing major Ashley Mistretta, the tuition increase means she must take out loans and can no longer anticipate graduating without debt.

“It would’ve been nice to come in knowing that,” she said. “The price was one of the big reasons I chose to come to Maryland.”

The university cited the higher price of instruction for those fields — business and engineering courses cost 25 percent more on average than other university courses, according to the proposal — as one reason the differential pricing structure was needed.

“They cost much more to teach, so in effect, other programs are subsidizing them, and I think that’s wrong,” university President Wallace Loh said.

Graduates of these majors also see higher job placement and starting salaries, the proposal states, with 85 percent of business, engineering and computer science students either graduating with a job or pursuing a graduate degree, compared with 70 percent of other majors.

The median starting salary for majors subject to differential pricing is about $60,000, while other majors have a median starting salary of $35,000.

Before Wednesday’s vote, this university was the only Big Ten state flagship school not using a differential pricing model, according to the proposal.

“[This] will allow us to maintain the quality of a flagship education,” Loh said. “It is very important that this model is only done at major flagship universities; the reason is because the quality of a flagship education is so much higher and the quality of the students they attract is so much higher.”

But Daniel Moscatiello, a sophomore finance major, said he doesn’t find keeping up with the Big Ten a valid reason to increase tuition. He said this structure might deter students who don’t want to feel punished for pursuing a degree they’re interested in from attending this university.

The university’s proposal notes that a survey of most Big Ten schools showed differential pricing had no negative impact on enrollment.

Loh said this university’s plan differs from other Big Ten schools in that it will only affect juniors and seniors, as underclassmen often change majors, and will be phased in gradually.

Current juniors will pay an additional $700 in tuition senior year, current sophomores will pay $700 more their junior year and $1,400 more their senior year, and current freshmen will see a $1,400 tuition increase junior year and a $2,800 increase senior year, according to the university proposal.

Future students enrolled in these majors will see $2,800 tuition increases their junior and senior years.

The university will hire 23 new faculty members using 65 percent of the revenue generated in an attempt to improve the faculty-to-student ratio in the selected programs, according to the proposal. The student-faculty ratio in computer science is 93 to 1, compared with the university average of 18 to 1, according to the proposal.

Twenty-five percent of the funds will go toward grants and financial aid, while the remaining 10 percent will encourage enrollment increases in engineering and computer science and the creation of two business minors, according to the proposal.

“I get why they’re doing this,” junior marketing major Rayna Friedman said. “We use a lot of resources here compared to, say, the humanities majors. There’s a lot of research and big expenses the business school takes on. I would rather they not, of course, but I understand it, so I’m not angry.”

Senior staff writer Ellie Silverman contributed to this report.

View our previous coverage below:

[ READ MORE: UMD looks to raise tuition for comp sci, business, engineering fields ][ READ MORE: Students petition, angered after UMD proposes differential tuition system ]

For more information read the documents below:

[ READ MORE: Tuition Increase Proposal ][ READ MORE: Differential Pricing Proposal ][ READ MORE: Letters of Deans in Support of Differential Pricing in Engineering, Business, and Computer Science ]