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SALT LAKE CITY — With a year of tuition freezes in their rearview mirror, tuition will likely go up at Utah's public colleges and universities next fall.
Even Southern Utah University, which has not raised tuition for five consecutive years, will ask for a 3% increase when the Utah State Board of Higher Education meets next week to consider proposals by the state-supported colleges and universities it oversees.
On Friday, the University of Utah's Board of Trustees approved a proposed 3.5% increase for undergraduate tuition next fall, which will bring the cost of resident tuition to just over $10,646 per year.
Utah State University, meanwhile, is seeking a 3.4% tuition increase at its Logan and statewide campuses. USU is seeking no increase in technical education tuition.
While no one relishes paying more for college, University of Utah President Taylor Randall reminded the university's trustees Friday that Utah's tuition rates are "quite a value among our peer set."
Among the prestigious Association of American Universities, "we are the second lowest for tuition and fees in the country," Randall said. Association of American Universities membership is limited to institutions at the forefront of scientific inquiry and educational excellence.
"We have the lowest tuition and fees in the Pac-12 by a margin of over $2,700. As it stands now, the University of Utah will enter the Big 12 having the third lowest tuition and fees. Among our (Association of American Universities) peers in the Big 12, we will be the lowest by about $300," he said.
Last year, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox imposed a tuition freeze at all state campuses, expressing concerns that college costs "are real barriers for many students." Legislative appropriations typically cover 75% of the compensation increases extended to employees at state colleges and universities, leaving the system of higher education to fund the remaining 25%, primarily through tuition increases. Last year, state lawmakers appropriated 12.5% of the match, leaving the colleges to address the remainder.
This coming year, tuition will be slightly increased to cover the institutions' portion of cost-of-living adjustments from the state and to fund faculty retention initiatives.
At the U., the tuition increases will be somewhat offset by $7 million in scholarship funding, Randall said.
There were also differential tuition increases proposed for part-time MBA programs in the U.'s David Eccles School of Business that largely serve working executives. The school is seeking 7.4% tuition increases for those programs, said Brad Vierig, associate dean of MBA programs and executive education.
Randall said not only are the school's part-time MBA programs nationally ranked, but they are also some of the most affordable nationwide.
Executive MBA programs serve executives 12 to 14 years into their careers.
Nationally, "they are typically priced very high. Some of these programs are over $200,000 for the program. These are programs that do not receive state subsidy. We ranked in the Top 20 and probably the second or the lowest tuition among those that are ranked, and certainly among the Top 10 publics, perhaps the lowest. This is an outstanding program, one of the gems of the business school. This tuition increase is required to keep up the high levels of service and (address) the increasing costs," Randall said.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake Community College is requesting a 4% tuition increase for both resident and nonresident students, according to spokeswoman Peta Owens-Liston. There will be no increase in its Salt Lake Technical College rates.
