Forty Boston University (B.U.) students demonstrated in the rain at B.U. yesterday to protest a planned $400 tuition hike. The demonstration was far smaller than a violent protest held three weeks ago involving over 500 students against the hike.

Protesters attributed the decline to a belief by students that they could do nothing to prevent the hike and said the futility grew from a meeting last week between students and B.U. President John R. Silber, during which Silber explained the reasons for the hike.

"Silber got us on his ground immediately," Brian K. Herschler, one of the students at the protest said yesterday, adding that students at the meeting "swallowed a lot" of what Silber said.

Johan A. Madson, dean of student life at B.U., said yesterday the B.U. administration sent letters two weeks ago to all B.U. students explaining the reasons for the tuition hike.

Commenting on yesterday's demonstration, Madson said, "I think one of the things that's evident is that while most students don't like the idea of tuition going up, they understand the reasons why."