Tuition and fees are on the rise to help pay for faculty and staff compensation, retention and hiring.
“There are unmet needs everywhere,” said David Pershing, senior vice president of academic affairs.
The overall increase will be 7.45 percent for undergraduate students and 10.1 percent for graduate students.
The increase is lower than last year, among the lowest in the state and below the national average.
“We are in a better situation than a year or two ago,” Pershing said. He said that Utah is in a better fiscal situation and that the leadership in house and senate are committed to higher education.
Currently the amount of tuition U students pay is about $1,000 less than the national average of other state-run universities.
The $8.1 million in new funding will go to faculty and staff compensation and hiring additional full-time faculty.
The administration did express concern for the increase. “We do understand tuition is a challenge for students,” Pershing said. “We are not a private university where the students’ parents will pay for everything. We believe 75 percent of students at the U work 30 hours plus a week. They’re paying their own tuition.”
Only a handful of students attended the Truth in Tuition meeting Monday, where U administrators presented the proposed increases.Kurt Anderson, a senior majoring in human development and family studies did not attend.
“It sucks tuition goes up, but we get a good deal compared to other colleges,” he said.
Sam Yamamoto, a sophomore majoring in music and education, said the state should make up for low grade- school funding and give more to higher education.
“If they are making college students spend more, then they should spend more on high schools,” he said.
The administration said it has goals to lower the increase in tuition every year.