• Marquette undergraduate tuition will increase by 3.5 percent in the 2009-'10 school year.
• The tuition increase is the lowest, on average, in 30 years.
• The university has allocated an additional $4 million in its fiscal year 2010 budget for student financial aid.

Full-time undergraduate tuition will increase next school year by 3.5 percent.

The 2009-'10 numbers mark the lowest tuition increase, on average, in 30 years, according to Marquette University News Briefs. Annual tuition will increase by $960 to $28,680 for the year.

In a letter sent to Marquette students and families this week, University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild said the university will continue working to minimize tuition increases by containing costs and striving for efficiency.

Tuition covers about 65 percent of the cost of a Marquette education, Wild said in the letter.

The university is allocating an additional $4 million in its fiscal year 2010 budget for student financial aid, Wild said. More than 85 percent of Marquette students receive financial aid, he said.

The university is financially stable, according to Wild. It has "adequate cash reserves, conservative budgeting and investment policies, and contingency plans, he said.