To the chagrin of many cash-strapped students, dormitory and meal plan fees at Maryland’s public universities will increase this fall for at least the 12th year in a row.

“I always hear my parents asking when it’s going to stop,” said Ashley Tucker, 20, a political science and journalism major at Towson University.

“Even though $200 may not seem like a lot of money, it most definitely adds up.”

The finance committee of the Board of Regents, which governs the university system’s 11 schools, approved the increases in room and board.

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The exact increases depend on the campus and the type of dorm, but most range between $200 and $300.

University officials described the increases as modest and essential.

The state doesn’t give universities money to defray the costs of room and board, so students and their families must pick up the tab.

The increases were needed to maintain current operations at the rate of inflation for food and utilities, said Joe Vivona, the system’s chief operating officer and vice chancellor for administration and finance.

“This is not designed to make a profit, but just to pay for what’s provided,” he said.

The rising fees also reflect the price of new residence halls and the cost of expansion, something the university system will do rapidly in the next decade: Enrollment projections released Thursday show an expected 24 percent growth in the student population by 2017.

Students eagerly wait to see whether Gov. Martin O’Malley’s promised tuition freeze actually happens.

Both chambers of the General Assembly trimmed higher education funding this session but limited the cuts to $6.8 million — less than 1 percent of the system’s $1.1 billion general fund budget.

This makes the possibility of a tuition freeze “very favorable,” Vivona said.

Students will know for sure as soon as next week.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com