MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— Middle Tennessee State University is seeing an enrollment decrease of nearly 5 percent.

MTSU President Sidney McPhee told WPLN-FM (http://bit.ly/1pwLJEa) admissions officers surveying students who left found cost was the number one factor. The university increased tuition by 4.4 percent this fall, bringing it to more than $8,000 a year.

McPhee said the school dropped more than 1,200 students from its rolls because they were unable to pay. Although the purge took place before the semester began, admission figures have just been made final.

McPhee said the enrollment drop has forced the school to make cuts, although they have not been drastic.

Part of the school’s financial difficulty comes because the state paid MTSU only $1.25 million of the $4.2 million it was due for graduating students on time.

(AP)