The UA is proposing a $1,500 tuition increase for all resident students next year, according to the UA’s official proposal to the Arizona Board of Regents. Student fees will also increase by $300.
Non-resident tuition would increase by $600 under the proposal and tuition for residents at UA South would increase by $1,200.
The increase is meant to help offset another round of budget cuts from the state. Gov. Jan Brewer proposed cutting $170 million from the three state universities, including $67 million from the UA in her executive proposal, but the most recent proposition from the state Senate would cut an additional $65 million from the universities, bringing the UA’s total cut to $92 million.
In its proposal submitted to the regents during a study session last week, the UA said that for every $10 million in lost state funding tuition would have to be raised $500 to offset the cost.
The proposed tuition increase would raise an additional $22 million in revenue for the UA.
“”Despite the economic turmoil enveloping our state, the UA has successfully implemented a transformation that will better serve Arizona’s students and address the real problems of our time,”” said UA President Robert Shelton in a release. “”This tuition proposal, combined with our continued commitment to financial aid, will allow us to offer an accessible, affordable, high-quality education that Arizona students will need to successfully take our state to a brighter future.””
The UA is also working to address the shortfall through staff reductions and program consolidation or elimination and “”stands by”” its commitment to cut $39 million from the university budget on top of tuition and fee increases.
“”The UA is taking an aggressive path to reorganize itself around the critical issues confronting Arizona,”” Shelton said. “”The University has invested in interdisciplinary solutions to provide students with leading-edge learning opportunities that will uniquely qualify them to lead our state and country forward in the decades to come.””
Since 2008, state appropriation to the universities has fallen approximately $230 million, and the cuts proposed by the Senate would bring that total to $465 million, a figure Regents Chair Anne Mariucci called “”appalling”” in a release.
“”Irresponsibly-deep cuts in higher education funding will negatively impact Arizona’s economic recovery and thus future state revenues,”” Mariucci said.
The regents will be hosting a video-conferencing tuition hearing on March 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. The UA’s link to the hearing will be held in Room 211 of the Harvill building.
More details will follow as they become available.
