For fiscal year 2012, University students who receive the HOPE scholarship will see an increase of $2,685 in what they pay for education.

On Tuesday, the Board of Regents voted to raise FY12 tuition by 3 percent — increasing it from $7,070 to $7,282 a year.

Though a 3 percent tuition increase sounds small, the increases may cut students deeper than they realize.

The Regents also approved an increase to the institutional fee, raising the fee from $400 a year to $900 a year.

Though students have been paying for the institutional fee without HOPE funds since its initial implementation, all other fees and tuition increases have been previously covered by HOPE.

On March 15, however, Gov. Nathan Deal officially signed into law the new HOPE scholarship which decouples the scholarship award from tuition increases, limiting the amount of money awarded to 90 percent of FY11 tuition, no longer providing a book allowance and no longer paying for any student fees.

This means that for 2012 and beyond, HOPE will only cover $6,363 of tuition — leaving students to fund the remaining amount of tuition. For 2012, this is $919.

Students will also have to pay for all student fees which, this year, totalled $1,666 per year — without fee increases.

And if the past is any indication, fees will likely increase.

In fall 2009, fees increased by $43 per semester. Spring 2010 saw the institutional fee increase $100 per semester.

The University is looking to replace its 35-year-old student information system, which could cause an increase in the technology fee.

And the Board of Regents could raise tuition again in future fiscal years.

The Regents raised tuition by 25 percent for FY10 and by more than 16 percent for FY11.

If the state continues to cut funding to higher education, tuition will have to increase for FY13.

If HOPE stays tied to 90 percent of FY11 tuition, it will fund less and less of students’ education.

And if costs of expenses outside of tuition and fees, such as books and housing, continue to rise, even a 3 percent tuition increase may be harder for student budgets to handle.