Increase in College Cost Is Expected

Harvard undergraduates will probably face an increase in tuition, room, and board fees next year of at least $300, a Faculty official said yesterday.

Robert E. Kaufmann '62, assistant dean for finance and administration, said the increase from this year's total fee of $6525 reflects higher energy costs and inflation.

An increase in the University's endowment last year from $1.32 to $1.42 billion will not stave off rising expenses, Kaufman said.

Kaufman said the increase will be released in Dean Rosovsky's annual budget letter to the Harvard Corporation later this month. Costs for buildings and maintenance have not yet been determined, he added.

University costs should rise about six per cent over the next year and undergraduate tuition cost increases "will be somewhere in the same neighborhood," George Putnam Jr. '49, University treasurer, said yesterday.

"Tuition will rise more than room and board, but the percentage increase will be comparable," Kaufmann said.

Last year, tuition, room, and board charges increased by $500. Dean Rosovsky announced that increase last January at a meeting of the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life.

This year, the tuition charge is $4100; room, $1140; and board, including Massachusetts meal tax, $1285.

Other universities also expect the cost of undergraduate education to rise. Brown University recently announced it expects tuition, room, and board for 1977-78 to total $6800. This represents a nine per cent increase over last year's bill.

L. Fred Jewett '57, dean of admissions and financial aid, said yesterday that the College normally raises financial aid to cover increased costs, adding, "There is no reason to believe we will not follow the expected procedure.