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The state Board of Regents will consider tuition increases averaging 7.5 percent for the state's eight colleges and universities when it meets Friday in St. George. The proposed hikes are expected to raise an additional $38 million from Utah students, highlighting an unrelenting upward trend in the price of a college education.
Utah universities will remain more affordable than their counterparts in most other states, but that is little solace to the state's many associate degree-seeking students, particularly those attending regional universities rather than community colleges. Utah's two-year students generally pay more for their degrees than those in most other Western states.
Tuition at Utah schools has more than doubled over the past 10 years, climbing at twice the rate of inflation most years, even flush ones.
After three straight years of legislative cuts, which have reduced state appropriations to higher education by 13 percent, or $100 million per year, schools and Regents are struggling to balance the quality of a Utah education with affordability, particularly in the face of historic enrollment gains. Institutional presidents have repeatedly told lawmakers they have cut costs as much as possible without compromising quality.
The two schools seeking double-digit increases are actively building up the quality of their programs.
Southern Utah University proposes the largest dollar amount increase at $462. For the second year in a row, the Cedar City school is seeking an 11 percent increase. But with tuition and fees combining for $5,200 annually, SUU would remain a bargain considering it is providing a small-campus liberal arts and science experience that includes a new program in Shakespeare studies, according to President Michael Benson. SUU tuition will remain 30 percent less than its peer institutions in other states.
The increase "will go to 20 new faculty and new advisers and new resources for our experiential learning requirements. It's all tied to our academic road map that will further differentiate us from the other institutions in the system," Benson said. "We are trying to focus more on quality. That costs a bit more, and our students are supportive."
The proposed increases would doubtless be much higher had lawmakers cut state appropriations by the 7 percent they sought at the beginning of the recent session. Higher education escaped with a 2 percent cut, an $18 million reduction.
"We consistently have to do more with less," said Holly Braithwaite, spokeswoman for the Utah System of Higher Education. "We have another year of the Legislature cutting our appropriation. That difference needs to be passed along to students."
If approved, the annual cost of attending the University of Utah would be $6,763 next year (including fees), an increase of nearly 8 percent. Meanwhile, annual in-state tuition at other state flagships in the West is pushing $10,000.
Under Utah's two-step tuition-hike system, the Regents propose setting a 5 percent base increase that is common to all eight schools. This pays for increases in compensation, technology enhancements and initiatives to improve retention. Individual schools' boards of trustees propose the second tier, which this year ranges from zero at Salt Lake Community College to nearly 7 percent at Dixie State College.
These increases cover academic programs and support and student services.
Dixie is expanding and creating programs in anticipation of achieving university status in the next few years. Despite the proposed big jump to $3,888 with fees, Dixie would remain the most affordable option in Utah for a four-year degree.
"Our budget was cut 2 percent this year, which is a culmination of a 15 to 20 percent budget cut the past three years overall," said Dixie spokesman Steve Johnson. "We were really left without any alternative. To be able to continue to provide the services our students need, including instruction, advisement and other vital student services, this increase was needed."