The University of Connecticut's Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a $1.18 billion budget for the next fiscal year.
The budget represents a 4.6 percent increase in spending over 2014 levels and includes a previously approved tuition hike of 6.5 percent.
The budget allows for the hiring of 61 new faculty members, part of a plan approved in 2011 to add almost 300 positions by 2016. The school says the hiring will make classes more available and allow more students to graduate in four years.
The cost of attending UConn will go from $23,496 for an in-state student to $24,518. Out of state costs will rise from $42,444 to $44,698.
The school says the plan also includes almost $92 million in university-funded financial aid, much of it targeting low-income students.
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