Utah College Students Brace for Another Tuition Hike

04.02.2010 by Elizabeth Ziegler

Photo by Jennifer Leahy

(KCPW News) The State Board of Regents has increased tuition for public colleges and universities for the second year in a row. For University of Utah students, this amounts to an additional $471 per year, or 9.5 percent. Rachel Rizzo, Vice President of Associated Students of the University of Utah, says the increase is difficult for many students, especially because of the school’s unique demographics.

“Almost 45 percent of our campus is married, our average age is about 26.2, so when you throw in a family into the mix, with children and a job and school, it gets really, really tough for some people,” Rizzo says. “So we’re trying to do everything we can in order for students to be aware of the resources available to them.”

The hike was approved yesterday. Higher Education Commissioner William Sederburg says it’s unavoidable because of state budget cuts. and a 17 percent spike in enrollment.

And he says college students would have had to absorb a 30 percent tuition increase this year, if it weren’t for cost-saving measures like furloughs, layoffs, larger class sizes and assigning faculty more courses.

“Utah remains one of the cheapest schools in the United States as far as tuition,” Sederburg says. “For example, the University of Utah’s tuition is the lowest of all their peers. So, higher education is still quite affordable in Utah compared to other states.”

University of Utah will see the highest dollar increase in tuition next year, but Southern Utah University will have the highest rate increase, at 12.5 percent. Sederburg says this will help SUU further its goal of becoming the region’s leading liberal arts college.