After six hours of presentations and deliberations Friday, Utah’s higher education board approved tuition increases for all eight public colleges and universities.
Combined, that amounts to an average 2.82% hike — lower than the 2.96% schools requested, but slightly higher than the 2.23% approved last year.
The modest increases come as Utah’s political leaders have grown increasingly wary about the exploding expenses of higher education, including how administrative costs are passed onto students.
The changes are set to take effect this fall semester. That’s after lawmakers slashed $60.5 million in a budget cut and reallocation process last year and cut an $10 million from the higher education budget this year.
Snow College saw the highest percent change with a tuition-and-fee increase of 3.53%; it’s the smallest and cheapest school in the state.
Utah State University saw the biggest bump in actual tuition dollars added, with the average student now owing $440.45 more each year.
The University of Utah remains the highest-priced school in the state at roughly $11,165 per year.
The board did not approve the full asks for two schools: Utah State and Utah Tech University.
Read Courtney Tanner's full story at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.