The Board of Regents meets today to set tuition and students fees for the coming year, and the news doesn't look good.

Higher education officials asked the 2006 Legislature for a 7.3 percent increase in their operating budgets, plus another $26 million for faculty retention and other special initiatives. Instead, lawmakers approved a 5.7 percent increase and gave them about $5 million in one-time funds, so schools must turn to students to make up some of the difference.

As a result, students can plan on tuition hikes from a low of 4 percent at Salt Lake Community College to 8.5 percent at Weber State University and 9.45 percent at the University of Utah.

"Education is important so I will have to find the money," said Ingrid Price, a U. political science major.

Still, she is disappointed higher education wasn't a higher priority for this year's Legislature, especially given the budget surplus.

Higher tuition may mean some students will have to apply for more student loans. Some will have to enroll in fewer classes and take longer to graduate. Others may have to take time off to work and save money to pay for school.

Since 2001, the regents have used a two-pronged approach to tuition increases. First-tier tuition, which covers students' share of faculty and staff compensation, is an across-the-board tuition rate for all public colleges, except Utah College of Applied Technology.

Regents are expected to impose a 4 percent first-tier tuition rate increase.

Second-tier tuition enables each school to meet specific campus needs. The second-tier money is supposed to benefit students immediately, perhaps providing money for more instructors, classes that are less crowded or more computer labs.

The U., for example, has proposed a 5.45 percent second-tier hike in addition to the regents-mandated increase (projected 4 percent), meaning undergraduate resident students will likely see a 9.45 tuition percent boost. Salt Lake Community College is not requesting a second-tier tuition increase, so full-time students at the state's largest two-year school likely will pay only 4 percent more.

"We want to do the right thing for students," said Dave Thomas, SLCC Board of Trustees chairman.

The largest tuition hit - about 31 percent - likely will be felt by freshmen and sophomores at Dixie State College. For years, the St. George-based school maintained one of the lowest tuition rates in the state. Dixie plans to grow by offering more four-year degree programs, and the increase will help support that growth.

In addition to increased tuition, students also face higher fees to support everything from student government to athletics to computers and school newspapers.

Utah Valley State College is seeking the highest student fee hike (12.2 percent) followed by Snow College (10 percent). But Southern Utah University and the College of Eastern Utah are asking the regents to reduce their student activity fees by 3.5 percent.

College administrators are quick to note the cost of education at Utah public colleges still is below the national average.

Snow College President Michael Benson acknowledged that students are not happy about tuition increase. But they support spending second-tier dollars to hire three more faculty members as a way of "smoothing out the bottleneck courses" at his two-year college in Sanpete County, he said.

"Students are happy when they get the courses they need to graduate."

sykes@sltrib.com