ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Parents react to hearing that the State Board of Education approved a 15 percent tuition hike for the University of Central Florida.
Parents inside the student union for the first day of freshman orientation were upset about the news.
"It's very disheartening," said Mary Kathryne Waldrop.
Another parent, Felicia Byers, agreed.
"It's too high. We can't afford it. By the time my 11-year-old goes to school, it's going to be outrageous," Byers said.
For the average undergrad, tuition and fees will increase by $663 a year.
UCF'S president John Hitt said if they want to continue operating at the same level, they need more money.
This year, the state cut $52 million from their funding.
"We don't like having to put the burden of paying for their education even more on students and their families, but we need the revenue, in order to offer them the classes they will need to graduate on time," Hitt said.
The tuition for 11 out of the state's 12 universities will go up in the fall.