University of Utah students can breathe a sigh of relief now that the U has announced it is proposing that there will be no tuition increase for the upcoming academic year. 

The announcement was made during Tuesday’s Truth in Tuition hearing, where university leaders shared tuition will remain the same “across the board” with zero increases for in-state, out-of-state and international students.

ASUU President Taylor VanderToolen also announced during the hearing the general student fee advisory board, which VanderToolen chairs, is recommending no increase in student fees for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Under the proposal, student fees will remain at about $591 for a full-time, in-state student with a 15-credit course load. The tuition cost for the same student is about $4,551 per semester. 

Student fees are used to cover expenses such as campus buildings, extracurriculars and student mental health services.

The U proposal comes a few months after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox proposed a statewide “tuition freeze” during an October press conference.

Last year, the U raised tuition by nearly 5%, the highest tuition increase at a public university across the state that year, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. 

Jess Wojciechowski, 2021-2022 student body president, said they were the only member of the Board of Trustees to argue against last year’s tuition increase. 

Jason Atuaia, interim associate vice president for budget and finance, said after the governor’s proposal, the university “reflected internally” on how they could make a zero tuition increase feasible. He noted the U has received lots of support from the governor and the state legislature. 

“This year we have determined we can survive with a zero percent tuition increase while maintaining our current level of service,” Atuaia said, adding the decision is in alignment with Cox’s proposal.

Whether or not the university will need to raise tuition in future years is “yet to be determined,” he said.

Atuaia explained that Utah lawmakers approved an increase in compensation for higher education employees this year. While the legislature covers about 75% of the funding, the university is expected to provide the other 25%, something that is sometimes covered through a tuition increase, he said. 

But this year, the school will look internally at how to fund compensation increases not only without raising tuition but also without cutting funding for existing programs for students.

“Our promise is that even with a zero percent tuition increase, we will not reduce or cut any portion of services that our students expect to receive by attending the flagship university of the state,” Atuaia said.

The final recommendation will be made to the Board of Trustees during their March 14 meeting and the Utah Board of Higher Education will review any requests later this month.

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