University of Utah trustees approved next year's tuition hike Tuesday, setting a range of 7 percent to 9 percent, or an increase of $380 to $488 per year. The final number depends on how deeply the Legislature cuts state appropriations to higher education and where the Board of Regents sets the "tier-one," or system-wide, component of the hike.
The higher-education appropriation, which could range from flat funding to a 7Â percent cut, will be decided by the close of the session Thursday. But David Pershing, the U.'s top academic officer, told trustees he was confident this year's cut would be just 2 percent, a much softer blow than the past two years and the 7 percent proposed at the beginning of the session.
U. students will have a chance to weigh in on the proposed tuition hike at a hearing Tuesday.
While college tuition in Utah is low compared with other states, it has more than doubled over the past decade, with annual increases between 4 percent and 12 percent, depending on the school. Annual tuition and fees range from $6,200 at the U. to $4,300 at Weber State, amounts that create a hardship for many students, forcing more to work off campus, go into debt and delay graduation.
But with declining state support for colleges, administrators have no choice but to tap students' wallets to keep their campuses running. The state covers only 42 percent of Utah Valley University's costs, and about half at Salt Lake Community College and Dixie State College.
At UVU's recent "truth in tuition" hearing, officials indicated next year's tier-two tuition hike would fall between 4 percent and 9 percent. Much of the uncertainty lies not just with legislators, but with Regents, who have yet to set tier-one tuition, which covers compensation increases and is common to Utah's eight public colleges and universities. Tier-two increases, which fund program growth, student services and academic support, are unique to each school. Schools like to key their tuition jumps to the tier-one increase to keep the overall hike in single-digit territory, but they don't have that luxury this year.
"The absence of a tier-one foundation upon which to build has hampered our ability to settle on a tier-two increase," U. officials wrote in a memo to their trustees. "The uncertainty has been compounded by the likelihood of, but not yet finalized, reductions in state support for higher education."
Pershing has heard that the tier-one increase likely will be 5 percent, but Regents spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite said her board won't finalize the number until its March 25 meeting in St. George. It's at this meeting that Regents will weigh trustees' requested tuition hikes.
Meanwhile, U. trustees approved a $66 fee increase. New fees include $6 to support a new office to advise students on money management; the fine-arts fee tripled to $16. The latter fee ensures that students get subsidized tickets to a variety of fine-arts venues, generally costing $7 or half-price for expensive shows.
Student president Chase Jardine described both fees as a good deal for students. Those who attend one or two performances at Pioneer Memorial Theatre and Kingsbury Hall will get their money's worth.
