Room and board rates decrease for 14-15 year

Purdue has made another effort to make things easier for students and their parents to choose Purdue.

The Board of Trustees approved that the room and board rates for the 2014-15 academic year would be reduced 2.5 percent. There were some increases in housing rates, such as in Hawkins Hall, but the overall average came out to be a 0.2 percent reduction.

Additionally, meal plan costs will be reduced by 5 percent. These meal plans, which students living in the dorms are required to have, cost from$2,998 to $5,172. There are also on-campus housing locations where a meal plan isn't required, such as Hilltop Apartments and Purdue Village. Room rates not including a meal plan range from $2,574 in Cary Quadrangle to $9,500 in First Street Towers.

In addition to the reduced dining rates, students in the fall will be able to use their dining dollars in any retail store on campus.

President Mitch Daniels said by increasing the social benefits of living on campus, more students are encouraged to come to Purdue and study over the summer.

"Our pledge to students and their families is to deliver a world-class college experience - from the classroom to campus life - and to keep a Purdue education as affordable as possible," Daniels said in a press release. "By controlling and, when feasible, cutting rates, we seek to extend the clear academic and social benefits of living on campus to as many students as possible."

The Board also approved a $150 discount for the 12-month room and board contract, which allows the student to live on campus year-round in McCutcheon Hall. The aim of this discount is to encourage students to stay on campus in the summer and get ahead with their degrees.

Jim Almond,senior vice president for business services and assistant treasurer, said the principal reason why Purdue made such move was that the University cares about student affordability.

"Most room rates were held constant with Hilltop Apartments, reducing about 4 percent," Almond said. "But Hawkins Hall went up a little."

A new housing option called Third Street Suites is opening in the fall on the West Lafayette campus. Students wanting to look for more information on rates can visit http://www.housing.purdue.edu.

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Room and board rates decrease for 14-15 year