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SALT LAKE CITY -- Colleges and universities around the state are preparing for the worst with state budget cuts, and one impact will be an increase in tuition.
There are two tiers to the increases. The first, determined by the Board of Regents, is expected to be somewhere near 1 percent. The second is determined by each institution and will be presented to the board near the end of March.
While some schools are expected to request an increase of as much as 12 percent, Board of Regents commissioner Bill Sederberg says he's pleased with how schools have coped with the state budget cuts.
"Because remember, we're having our budgets cut something 19 percent with the enrollment going up about 8.5 percent," he said.
It's not welcome news for Jamie Vigil, a student at the University of Utah.
"I work at a coffee shop. I'm not going to make enough money to be able to pay it by myself," she said.
Another U student, Chris Robinson, said he's making cuts to his own budget. "I don't eat out as much now, cook at home a lot more, and just generally try to save my money," he said.
Jordan Welch is a server at a restaurant. He's had to work harder for tips these days. "Yeah, I give people free bread a lot and stuff like that, hoping that maybe they'll compensate me for my trouble," he said.
The University of Utah expects to raise tuition about 9 percent. The state board of regents says the increases are right in line with previous years, but all the numbers are still up in the air until lawmakers finalize the budget.
E-mail: pmchardy@ksl.com
