ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses will all receive one-time 5% funding for this fiscal year after the state’s last budget accord.

The funding increase applies to Michigan’s 15 public universities. The one-time increases at UM’s three campuses will take effect Oct. 1, according to a press release from the university.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday, September 22, reached a $ 70 billion budget deal, which allocates $ 2.2 billion to higher education. The boost includes a 1% increase in the university’s operating budget for next year and an additional 4% general increase for this year’s budget which ends September 30.

Read more: Michigan Legislature Approves $ 70 Billion Budget With Increases in State Departments of Higher Education

“Higher education is a critical component in providing greater opportunities for Michiganders and greater prosperity for our state,” Chris Kolb, UM vice president of government relations, said in a statement. “This spending plan will help the University of Michigan and all of the major universities in our state do what they do best. It is a promising first step towards the necessary investments in higher education to prepare our students and develop our state. “

The budget for the next fiscal year includes $ 326.3 million for the UM-Ann Arbor campus, $ 26.6 million for UM-Dearborn and $ 24.2 million for UM-Flint, the statement said. Each is required in the language of the budget bill to increase undergraduate tuition fees in the state by no more than 4.2% or $ 590, whichever is greater.

The one-time 4% funding increase for this year pays $ 12.6 million for UM-Ann Arbor, $ 1 million for UM-Dearborn and approximately $ 926,000 for UM-Flint, the release said.

The increase in funding is for programs such as the Tuition Incentive Program, which saw a 3.6% increase. That amounted to $ 2.5 million in financial aid for low-income students, the statement said.

In addition to university credits, the state budget includes a 3.6% increase for the tuition incentive program, adding $ 2.5 million to a state financial aid program intended low-income students.

The UM board of directors has already approved a transaction based on Michigan’s budget accord: the increase in the annual salary of President Mark Schlissel. Regents Chairman Jordan Acker announced at last week’s Regents’ meeting that Schlissel would receive a 3% pay rise that would bring his salary to around $ 927,000.

Read more: University of Michigan president gets 3% raise despite late performance review

This changes the budget of the UM that the regents approved in June, which assumed a lump sum from the state. He increased tuition fees by 1.4%, the statement said, far less than what is required by the new budget deal. It also included a 6.4% increase in financial aid to cover tuition fee increases for state students in need, the statement said.

The regents also expanded the Go Blue Guarantee for the Dearborn and Flint campuses, which promises free tuition for four years for Michigan families with less than $ 65,000 in annual income. The Ann Arbor campus implemented the Go Blue guarantee in 2018, which also requires a GPA of 3.5.

Michigan’s budget wording also requires each campus’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate to provide medical, religious, or “other always-held objections to vaccinations.” UM’s policy allows students, faculty and staff to request medical or religious exemptions, which it tracks in its COVID-19 database.

Read more from The Ann Arbor News:

Becoming a “potato” has helped a professor at the University of Michigan keep his students engaged. Videos have gone viral

1 arrest for sexual assault, 10 deportations from University of Michigan football game against Rutgers

Unknown invader gropes Ann Arbor woman before fleeing