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ST. GEORGE — The State Board of Regents voted on Friday to approve tuition increases at all eight colleges and universities in Utah.
The state's more than 173,000 students, as well as any who enrolls in the upcoming school year, will be asked to pay an average of about 7.5 percent more in tuition and fees, depending on the school they attend.
Tuition increases and 2011-12 cost:
| School | Percentage | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Dixie State College | 11.8% ($348) | $3,288 |
| Southern Utah University | 11% ($462) | $4,658 |
| Utah State University | 9% ($391) | $4,737 |
| University of Utah | 7.8% ($423) | $5,850 |
| Utah Valley University | 7.4% ($272) | $3,944 |
| Snow College | 7% ($164) | $2,520 |
| Weber State University | 6% ($214) | $3,773 |
| Salt Lake Community College | 5% ($120) | $2,640 |
The highest increase happens at Dixie State University, which will see an 11.8 percent increase, while Weber State University, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College had at or below 7 percent increases — the lowest increases approved by the board.
"We are not recovering all of the budget reductions that have occurred, and we're not recovering the cost increases that have occurred in the last three or so years," said William Sederburg, Utah's commissioner of higher education.
Regent Chairman David Jordan said that even with the increase, "all of our institutions are relatively low" when compared to other schools in the Western states.
The Regents' official approval comes after student-held hearings at each campus where students voiced support for the increases, as well as a system-wide 5 percent first-tier tuition increase. The first-tier increase is set by the Utah System of Higher Education to compensate for an approximate 2.5 percent decrease in the amount of state funding provided to higher education institutions this year and about a $100 million drop in the last three years.
The only opposing vote came from Regent Meghan Holbrook, who said she "thought long and hard about it" and "felt in this economy, I did not want to put a tuition increase on students."
Student Regent David Smith, who is a graduate student at the University of Utah, said that students in Utah "recognize certain realities on the ground" but want to keep an eye to the future, making sure that lawmakers help to reverse the changes that have been made over the last few years of declining revenues.
"Continuing to fund education on the backs of students, in whatever context, is not going to help economic prosperity in the state," Smith said.
Sederburg said the increases are necessary to continue to fund record enrollment growth at Utah's colleges and universities and maintain accreditation standards as well as higher-ed industry standards.
Future tuition rates will depend on the state budget and how much money the Legislature devotes to slowing the higher cost of going to college.
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Story written by Wendy Leonard with contributions from Richard Piatt.
