Higher Ed Utah

ST. GEORGE – At a meeting held today at Dixie State College, the State Board of Regents approved new increases for tuition at Utah’s colleges and universities. System-wide, the average total tuition increase for an undergraduate Utah resident is about 7.5% in annual tuition for 15 credit hours.

“Since 2008, Utah’s colleges and universities have faced yearly budget cuts now totaling roughly 14%,” said Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg. “For years our institutions have had to consistently do more with less, now in order to protect access and quality it is necessary that some of the costs will have to be passed along to students in the form of higher tuition.” Commissioner Sederburg notes, however, that tuition increases would have been much higher if the Legislature had approved an original 7% cut rather than the 2.5% they decided on earlier this month.

“State support for our colleges and universities has been steadily declining over recent years,” noted Board of Regents Chair David Jordan. “We need to reverse that trend so that all of our institutions remain affordable, particularly at the community college level. We can’t continue to cover increasing costs with tuition hikes.” When compared to institutions in surrounding states, on average, tuition is lower at Utah’s colleges and universities.

Tuition at USHE institutions is approved in two tiers: Tier I tuition is an increase applied equally system-wide to assist institutions in covering various needs common to all institutions. The second tier comes as a recommendation from institution presidents only after discussion with Boards of Trustees and student hearings, as a means of covering institutional priorities and initiatives. The State Board of Regents must also approve Tier II tuition.

Below is a table showing the next year’s tuition increases for the state’s eight colleges and universities (based on a full year for an undergraduate student who is a Utah resident):

Tuition increases take effect summer term, 2011.

About The Utah System of Higher Education: USHE includes all of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities: The University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Snow College, Dixie State College, Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College. For more information on the Utah System of Higher Education, visit our website at http://www.higheredutah.org.