Maine's seven public universities would raise tuition for full-time students in the coming academic year if university system trustees sign off on the institutions' budget proposals today. But the proposed jump in tuition is smaller than in recent years.

Under the proposal, tuition for full-time undergraduates will rise 5.7 percent, overall, starting this fall. The current academic year's tuition was a 10.8 percent overall jump from the previous year's.

If system trustees endorse the tuition proposals when they meet today, they would be living up to a pledge made in the fall of 2008 to hold tuition increases to a system-wide average of 6 percent.

"Tuition increases are the revenue sources of last resort," University of Maine System spokesman John Diamond said. "This year, because of the economy, the universities are keeping the tuition rates low. But they are also making significant cuts in their budget in order to keep those tuition rates low."

The system's seven universities are presenting the following proposals:

* At the University of Maine at Augusta, full-time Maine students would pay $6,000 for the 2009-10 academic year -- a 5.3 percent jump from the current $5,700 rate.

* The University of Maine at Farmington would charge $7,712 for the year, up 5.7 percent from the current $7,296 charge.

* In Orono, University of Maine students would pay $7,590, or 5.9 percent more than the current $7,170.

* The University of Southern Maine will likely charge full-time Maine students $6,930 to enroll, 6 percent more than the current $6,540.

* At the three universities in northern Maine -- Fort Kent, Machias and Presque Isle -- students would be charged $6,030 for the 2009-10 year, up 5.8 percent from the current $5,700.

The tuition increases at the 45,000-student system come partly in response to slightly reduced state funding. Also, some operating costs have risen.

Under Gov. John Baldacci's biennial budget proposal, the universities expect $175.2 million from the state for the 2009-10 year. The system also expects to receive $8.4 million in federal economic-stimulus money.

Maine's seven universities originally received $184 million in state funds for the current academic year before they lost $8.4 million to a state-imposed spending curtailment in November 2008.

The universities made some cuts in response to the curtailment order, and the colleges will make further reductions in the new academic year.

In February, UMA eliminated four full-time positions and reduced the hours of two other employees as it plugged an $860,000 budget hole. UMA doesn't plan further layoffs for the 2009-10 academic year, but the college will leave the positions of two retiring professors vacant, UMA President Allyson Hughes Handley said.

The campus budget will remain at approximately $34 million, she said.

"We're just following the same tack of taking a conservative approach," Handley said.

UMF in December announced it would cut 15 positions from academic programs and administrative offices beginning in July. The university made the cuts to close a $2.2 million budget gap.

The flagship campus in Orono and USM both announced millions of dollars in reductions last week.

The Orono campus will lay off 32 employees as part of $5.8 million in cuts. USM expects to announce $4.6 million in cuts by the end of the month.

The university system's tuition increases come nearly two months after the Maine Community College System raised 2009-10 tuition at its seven campuses by 2.4 percent. A Maine student will pay $2,520 a year to enroll full-time at a community college.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com