Tuition at the University of Utah is increasing by 2.1% for the 2025-2026 school year. That means students will have to shell out about $224 more than the year prior.

The Utah Board of Higher Education approved a system-wide 2.23% bump for the state’s eight public universities at the Tuition and Fees meeting on March 28. That percentage undercuts last year’s 3.29% increase and the annual national inflation rate. According to the board, the lower rates “offer real gains in affordability to Utah students.” 

Students at the U have varying perspectives as they anticipate the added expenses. 

“It’s not increasing as much as I thought it was going to be,” said Sasha Lengwin, a junior majoring in Quantitative Analysis of Markets & Organizations.

The U continues to hold the title of the most expensive public school in the state. Before settling on the decided rate, the school proposed to raise tuition by between 1.75% and 5%.

Lengwin said the U costs less than the flagship schools in nearby states like the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Arizona.

“I’m honestly not too upset about it because I’m getting a great experience,” she said. “I think I’m paying for what [it] should be worth.”

But that same comparison causes concern for other students. 

Cianna Burnette, a sophomore majoring in business, said the increase takes away from the U’s reputation of affordability. As a student who pays her own tuition, the added costs make a big difference. 

“It is, honestly, very unfortunate to me,” Burnette said. “Especially since I’m struggling to pay the rest of my spring tuition as of right now.”

Burnette noted finances already create a barrier to higher education for a lot of people. She said she’s paid close to $16,000 in tuition this school year, so she’s looking for ways to decrease the costs. 

“Next year is so scary, but luckily, I’m hoping that I take online classes for the majority of my semester next year, at least for fall semester is the goal,” she said. 

The lower tuition rise causes unease for Jay Jensen, a finance major in his senior year. He noted these increased costs won’t impact him monetarily since he’s graduating this semester, but Jensen said he thinks it reflects the nationwide trend of reprioritizing higher education.

“Working with research funding at these universities, I think a lot of that comes from the federal government,” he said. “But also some of the things that just make it so that research is possible come from tuition.”

Jensen called research the “foundation of higher education.” As the federal government cuts funds at schools nationwide, he’s concerned about supporting student research.

“So the question is kind of like, what are they spending it on?” he said. “I know there’s reports and things that I could do to educate myself, but I think [for the] tangible impact felt by the students, you got to see something in your day-to-day. And all I see is a kind of increase in costs across campus.”

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@ElleCrossleyy