Boulus said the universities represented by the council have raised tuition in response to lack of state funding, forcing families to make up the difference.

The council is a nonprofit organization that serves 15 Michigan universities, including MSU.

Testimony was also given about the performance funding in Governor Snyder’s proposal. Lake Superior State University President Tony McLain said the performance funding would portray the university in a false light.

“We have a very diverse set of universities (in Michigan), and we are only using four metrics to try and cover that,” McLain said.

They also discussed Federal Pell Grants and allocating more funding to schools with more students receiving the grants.

The proposal garnered collective support from Wayne State University M. Roy Wilson during the hearing, despite the university’s revocation of performance funding after officials violated a tuition cap last year.

“We accept higher-risk, often financially challenged students. We will continue to accept these students, because that is our mission,” Wilson said. “We are pleased that the Governor’s budget proposal includes a Pell metric, and we urge (legislators) to keep this in the final budget.”

Wilson said Wayne State won’t receive much benefit.

“We support the proposed metrics, even though they don’t serve Wayne State as well as other universities, and would in fact result in Wayne State receiving the lowest percentage increase among Michigan’s public universities,” Wilson said.