Next year students can look forward to the lowest tuition increase in 10 years. On March 12, the Board of Trustees approved a 4.4  percent increase for the 2013-14 school year. The proposed increase will go before the Board of Regents for approval on March 29.
“We don’t consider that a victory, even though it’s the lowest in 10 years,” said Taft Price, a member of the Board of Trustees.
According to the board, 50 percent of the tuition increase will go toward faculty and staff salary increases and retention. Student support constitutes 24 percent of the increase and student aid is 6 percent.
“[Faculty] haven’t received raises in several years, and that was the least amount we could do and feel like we weren’t impairing the quality of the education,” Price said.
Another factor of the increase is the rising cost of health benefits. Price said the money will be mostly used to pay for benefits given to staff and faculty, rather than a huge salary increase.
“We fully recognize that making a quality education as affordable as it can be is part of our responsibility,” Price said. “We can’t control the cost [of health benefits], but we can understand and encourage people to save as much as they can.”
The 4.4 percent increase in tuition means $155 per semester for in-state students taking 15 credits. Additionally, a fee increase of $4.15 per semester has also been approved for a total of $159 for undergraduate students. Graduate students will take an increase of $160, including tuition and fees.
“Every year it will be a fight, every year we will do what we can to keep the cost down,” Price said. “You have to balance what it takes to retain the quality faculty we have and make sure the educational experience is what it should be.”
Despite the increase in tuition, the U remains the cheapest school in the Pac-12, with the closest being Oregon State at $8,138 for in-state students and the highest being USC at $44,463 for the 2012-13 school year.
President David Pershing said he is committed to the U being the best value in the Pac-12.
“Tuition increases are never taken lightly, but in order to sustain our excellent programs and attract the best and brightest faculty and staff, we need to remain financially competitive,” he said.
Out-of-state tuition is also scheduled to increase by 4.5 percent — an increase of $547 per semester.
The Daily Utah Chronicle reported in February student loan debt has topped household debt in the United States this year. Last year students were faced with an increase of 6 percent. The highest was in 2009, when the increase topped out at 9.5 percent.