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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — University of Connecticut officials are planning a series of tuition hikes that would culminate with in-state students paying 80 percent more in 2020 than those who went to the state's flagship school just a decade earlier.
The plan, released Tuesday by the school's chief financial officer at a campus meeting, would raise tuition by more than $3,000 for in-state students and $4,000 for out-of-state students over the next four years.
Under the proposal, tuition for in-state students would rise in stages from the current $10,524 to $13,799 in the 2019-20 school year. Tuition for out-of-state students would go from $32,066 to $36,466.
In-state tuition in 2009-10 was $7,632.
The first increase would come next fall, when tuition would rise $700 for in-state students and $950 for out-of-state students.
Scott Jordan, the school's CFO, said revenue generated in that first year will contribute about $12.8 million to help close a projected $40 million gap in the school's $1.3 billion budget.
Without it, he said the school would need major cuts in staffing, classes and other programming.
"All of those would reduce costs," he said. "None of them would make UConn a better university."
The plan does not deal with fees, room and board or other university costs that could also see hikes in the coming years.
Rachel Conboy, the president of the Undergraduate Student Government, said students have been dealing with a steady rise in tuition, books, food, parking, housing and other costs.
The senior, a political science and history major, said she appreciates all the new buildings going up on campus and new programs, but she also would like to see more financial help from the state. She said UConn should do a better job addressing fiscal inefficiencies before adding to the students' financial burden.
"A couple thousand dollars does make a huge difference," she said. "Everything keeps going up and up and up."
The total cost of attending UConn is currently about $25,500 for in-state students. Out-of-state students pay about $47,000 annually.
Tuition accounts for about 27 percent of UConn's revenue. The state provides about 30 percent, down from 43 percent in 2000, the school said. Donations, research grants and other revenue streams account for the rest.
State spending on UConn has actually increased, but it has not kept up with increases in school spending, which has risen from about $1 billion in fiscal 2011 to $1.3 billion this year. About 60 percent of the school's spending goes to personnel, and state reimbursements have not kept up with mandatory increases in wages and benefits, Jordan said.
Jordan said UConn is still a bargain for in-state students and ranks in the middle in terms of affordability when compared with peer institutions in other states.
The tuition proposal will be presented for approval to the board of trustees on Dec. 16.
"The board knows very well that the cost of a UConn education is of the utmost importance to students and families and tuition increases are not something we take lightly," Larry McHugh, chairman of the board of trustees. "The combination of value and academic excellence is what brings students to UConn, and we want to ensure that balance will be maintained."
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