PHOENIX – Six weeks after the Arizona Board of Regents approved tuition hikes for graduate students and out-of-state undergraduates at the three state universities, regents will decide today how much resident undergraduates will pay in tuition next year.

The regents, meeting at Arizona State University, will have two competing proposals for the UA tuition to choose from: a proposal made by the members of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and the Graduate and Professional Student Council and

President Peter Likins’ proposal.

In-state undergraduates currently pay $4,487 tuition. President Likins’ proposal would tack an additional $200 on to resident tuition.

Likins’ proposed 4.6 percent increase would bring tuition to $4,754, including a $65 technology fee approved earlier this year.

The ASA proposal is $25 less than Likins’, calling for a $175 increase, or 4 percent.

The decision was temporarily tabled by the board because regents had hoped to reduce the size of tuition increases if the Legislature gave more funding to Arizona universities.

Historically, regents have used university and student requests as informed suggestions but used their own judgment when deciding tuition.

Last year, the board rejected UA

requests for differential tuition and rejected both student and administrative tuition proposals and instead approved an alternative amount.

In addition to tuition, the regents are expected to discuss a proposal that will shift the decision-making process on tuition from the spring to fall. This shift would have the regents discussing tuition for the 2007-2008 academic year this fall, making its decision at its December meeting.

Regents are also scheduled to approve the employment contract for Robert Shelton, the next UA president.

A summary of the contract lists Shelton’s salary at $420,000 per year with an annual housing allowance of $45,000 and an annual car allowance of $9,400. Other benefits include a $75,000 yearly contribution to a retirement program, appointment as a tenured professor in the College of Science, moving expenses and reimbursement for travel expenses.

Shelton will also receive other typical benefits like medical benefits, vacation and sick leave and retirement options.

The regents are also slated to discuss planned upgrades to the campus wireless service and the voice, data and video network infrastructure at the Phoenix biomedical campus.

Regents have already approved tuition for graduate students and out-of-state undergraduates.

At the UA, nonresident undergraduates will pay $1,222 more in tuition next year, and nonresident graduate students can expect an increase of $1,242. Tuition for resident graduate students will also jump by $432.

The regents also approved increases for several colleges in the form of differential tuition. This targeted tuition applies to juniors and seniors in upper-division courses in select colleges.

Students in the James E. Rogers College of Law will see a $2,500 increase from differential tuition, and the Eller College of Management will see a $300 increase.

The College of Pharmacy has $1,000 increases slated for each year for the classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The College of Architecture and the College of Engineering will both have $600 differential tuitions next year, respectively.