After this year’s mandatory tuition freeze, University of Utah students must pay 3.28% or $338 dollars more in combined tuition and fees for the 2024-25 school year.

This means the U continues to have the highest tuition in the state, exceeding the next-highest university in Utah by more than $2,000 per year. But U President Taylor Randall said the university still is one of the cheapest compared to peer institutions out of state in the Pac-12 and AAU conferences.

The Utah Board of Higher Education approved the increase on March 22.

In the meeting, Randall added the amount of return on investment for students at the U is also significant, noting graduates currently have an average starting annual salary of $65,000.

“The payback comes really quick,” Randall said.

The tuition and fees hike is the fifth-highest percentage increase out of Utah’s eight colleges but amounts to the largest sum of dollars.

“Honestly, I’m disappointed but not surprised,” said Jaylee Aston, a junior studying gender studies and health, society and policy at the U. She suggested that the U is becoming less and less competitive, with an acceptance rate of 89%.

“With that, the U sees money,” Aston said. “I get that inflation is an issue, but I bet they have ways to keep the tuition costs lower.”

Where Does the Money Go?

A large portion of the money raised by the tuition increase will be directed towards annual staff compensation increases, said Randall. In 2022, the Chronicle reported about 80% of tuition goes toward salaries.

Every year, the Utah State Legislature designates 75% of the funds that are needed to go towards those mandated raises for college staff, which are meant to counteract inflation. Colleges are expected to pay the remaining 25%, which comes mostly from tuition revenue.

Jake Brand, a freshman studying computer science, feels like it just adds more to already expensive tuition and fees, but if it’s going to the “right places, then it’s fine … because faculty getting paid more is beneficial.”

Randall said there are 8,000 faculty members on campus, and the $2.5 million they’ll receive from this increase is needed to promote and retain them.

Aviana Cox, a freshman studying environmental studies, said it “sucks to have a tuition increase” for students, but it makes sense if you know why it’s happening.

“We’ve got some great professors here … and they deserve pay [increases],” Cox said.

Another $2 million funded by the increases will go to career services for students, which Randall notes will help advisors better counsel students on how to get jobs and be able to negotiate for higher salaries. 

“We mostly try to invest tuition increases into student experiences,” Randall said.

Next school year, students will also have to pay an additional $9.75 in fees per semester, which will go towards increasing access to mental health services on campus, as well as to Fine Arts and Campus Connect. That means the fee total will be $1,203 per year.

Randal added that 20% of students reported in a recent survey they miss some school activity in a given week because of mental health concerns, so it’s important to increase funding for those services.

London Kelley, a junior studying political science, isn’t surprised by the increase but hoped the U wouldn’t, “especially as the cost of housing in Salt Lake is soaring.”

“I’m fortunate to be on scholarship and supported by my parents, so the increase will thankfully not affect me that much,” Kelley said. “However, my friends are not in the same situation and pay for college themselves.”

In the meeting with USHE, Randall said he’s identified $100 million worth of expenses within the U’s budget that he believes can be lessened over the next three years.

He added that his hope is to ease the burden on students as much as possible.

In the meeting, the board also approved higher differential tuition increases for the school’s executive MBA, professional MBA and online MBA programs.

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