The proposed increase still requires approval by the state's Board of Regents, which meets later this month. Even with such an increase, the cost of a Utah college education is expected to remain less than 80 percent of the national average for public four-year institutions.

Under the proposed hike, in-state yearly tuition of $4,987 would rise to $5,281 for students taking a full 15 credit-hour course load. The U.'s average course load is only 12 hours and students taking fewer than 15 hours would be charged less, said Paul Brinkman, the U.'s associate vice president for finance.

The spring ritual of tuition hikes is an annual reminder of the ever-growing cost of a bachelor's degree. Most years, public universities reach deeper into students' pockets: U. tuition has doubled since the mid-1990s, but it has remained below the national average for the last 17 years.

"If we increase tuition too much, students spread out their education, and from an academic perspective that's bad," said David Pershing, the U.'s senior vice president for academic affairs.

This proposed hike would be the lowest in six years, Brinkman said. Most of the $6 million to $7 million that would be generated by the increase would go toward faculty and staff compensation, but some would pay for things that directly benefit students, such as hiring new faculty, remodeling facilities and enhancing advising.

In setting the higher tuition, U. administrators consulted student leaders, who were pleased the hike won't be as steep as in past years.

"It's a start in the right direction. Obviously, you want to see it lower. We have a lot of working students who are struggling to make it through school," said Spencer Person, the U.'s student-body president. "It makes sense that it goes with the rate of inflation, which is 4 percent this year."

Utah State University trustees, meanwhile, voted last week to increase that school's $4,200 tuition by 2 percent to 3.5 percent, subject to a March 18 forum that President Stan Albrecht will hold with students. Utah's other public colleges and universities still have two weeks to formalize tuition requests for regents' review at their March 21-22 planning meeting in St. George.

Nationally, the cost of attending a public college has outpaced the rate of inflation during most of the past 20 years as state legislatures have provided less funding. U. tuition covers about one-third of the cost of the school's educational mission, while state appropriations cover the rest - an arrangement that is the norm for American public four-year schools, according to the College Board's annual survey.

Included in the U.'s proposed tuition hike are fee increases totaling $20.21 per semester, notably a $3 fee students voted to impose on themselves to create a fund for colleagues who study abroad. Administrators also are proposing a $5 library fee.

"The Legislature has not been willing and able to support the library in the way we would like," Brinkman told the trustees, citing higher costs of collecting and managing academic and scientific journals.

bmaffly@sltrib.com