The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University approved tuition and room and board rates for the 2017-2018 school year.

For undergraduate, in-state students, tuition will rise 2.4 percent, or $4.77 per credit hour, to $204.14 per credit hour. The increase is in line with limits set by state statute. All other rates, including out-of-state undergraduate and all graduate, online and KC Northland campus tuition rates, will rise between .5 and 2.5 percent.

Room rates will increase between 2.5 percent and 3 percent, or $68 to $96 per semester, depending on the hall chosen. Board rates will increase between 2 and 4 percent, or $37 to $66 per semester, depending on the meal plan chosen. The 21 meal plan will now include all-access meals, keeping the dining hall in Blum Student Union open 12 hours per, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Currently, the dining hall is open a total of 7.5 hours per day.

An undergraduate student taking 15 in-state credit hours living in the least expensive residence hall with the least expensive meal plan would see an increase of $205 per semester, or 2.8 percent.

Also Thursday, the Board of Governors accepted a bid from Allegiant and Avaya Cloud Services of Overland Park, Kansas for a fully hosted Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, phone system to replace Missouri Western’s current AT&T Plexar telephone service. The five-year cost of the Allegiant Avaya system will be $816,547.

As part of the VoIP bid service, Missouri Western audited its phone line usage among departments on campus and will eliminate 140 phone lines, from 973 to 833. The cost per line of the VoIP system is 4.2 percent lower than the current landline, resulting in a total annual savings of approximately $40,000.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.