The Board of Trustees approved to increase the cost of attendance by 3.3 percent for the next academic year Friday.

This will be the 10th yearly increase for the cost of attendance at about 3 percent. The cost of attendance covers tuition, fees and room and board and will total $66,478 for incoming freshmen in the 2017-18 academic year.

Tuition next year will be $53,435, an increase of 3 percent. This is the third year that tuition has been more than $50,000.

The board did not vote to allocate the future revenue toward any specific cause. Two years ago, the board voted to direct the funds toward improving mental health resources, the first time a specific cause was selected to benefit from growth in sticker price.

The board also voted to maintain the University’s fixed tuition policy, which has been in place since 2004 and freezes tuition for returning students.

GW is dependent on revenue from tuition to fund about 60 percent of its operating budget. The University’s high tuition reliance is a financial challenge that faculty have said they hope GW’s incoming president, Thomas LeBlanc, will prioritize.