The Cornell Board of Trustees, at its meeting in New York City Saturday, approved a 1997-98 budget that calls for a 4.5 percent tuition increase for the endowed colleges.

The board also reviewed a range of proposed tuition rates for the statutory colleges but delayed action on those rates because of uncertainty over state budget cuts and related tuition actions.

The endowed increase is the same as last year's and the lowest since 1965-66, when there was no increase, said Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations.

The 4.5 percent increase sets tuition at Cornell's endowed colleges at $21,840 for the 1997-98 academic year. Currently, endowed tuition is $20,900.

Professional school tuitions and other fees for 1997-98 approved by the trustees are:

• Johnson Graduate School of Management, a 4.5 percent tuition increase to $23,460.
• Cornell Law School, a 4.5 percent increase to $23,100.
• Graduate School (endowed), a 4.5 percent increase to $21,840.
• Undergraduate student activity fees were unchanged at $74.
• Graduate and professional student activity fees were unchanged at $36.
• Housing rates were increased by 3.8 percent to $4,360.
• The full-plan dining contract was increased by 4 percent to $2,850.

The potential range of tuition rates reviewed with the trustees for the statutory colleges includes:

• Undergraduate resident, $9,150 to $9,400, an increase of 4 percent to 6.8 percent.
• Undergraduate non-resident, $17,750 to 18,000, up 4 percent to 5.5 percent.
• Graduate non-veterinary, $10,600 to $11,000, up 3.1 percent to 7 percent.
• Doctor of veterinary medicine resident, $14,000 to $14,250, up 4.1 percent to 6 percent.
• Doctor of veterinary medicine non-resident, $18,900 to $19,500, up 4.5 percent to 7.8 percent.
• Graduate veterinary, $11,500 to $11,800, up 4.8 percent to 7.5 percent.

The upper end of the range would cover some increase in contributions to the State University of New York (SUNY) dictated by the state budget, but would not cover the full $400 proposed by Gov. George Pataki, Dullea said. An increase in SUNY tuition of $400 could require an undergraduate resident increase of as much as $750, or 8.5 percent.