Tuition hikes affect Utah
The cost of tuition throughout Utah is gradually getting higher year by year; this doesn’t leave the College of Eastern Utah out of the mix.
Schools across the state are hiking their tuition costs, as they were approved in a Utah Board of Regents meeting on April 1 at Snow College.
An article in the Salt Lake Tribune’s April 2, 2010 issue stated, “The fact that other Utah schools cost from 64 to 89 percent of the national average is little consolation to the young, often married students struggling to attend classes.”
This archived article was written by: Mae Goss
The cost of tuition throughout Utah is gradually getting higher year by year; this doesn’t leave the College of Eastern Utah out of the mix.
Schools across the state are hiking their tuition costs, as they were approved in a Utah Board of Regents meeting on April 1 at Snow College.
An article in the Salt Lake Tribune’s April 2, 2010 issue stated, “The fact that other Utah schools cost from 64 to 89 percent of the national average is little consolation to the young, often married students struggling to attend classes.”
For the 2010-2011 year at CEU, tuition will have a 9.5 percent increase according to HigherEdUtah.org, making the total increase $201. Todd Olsen, director of admissions and scholarships, quoted what the total tuition next year will be $2,228.
Jed Pitcher, chair of the regents, said at the meeting on April 1, “These increases are necessary to preserve the quality of education at our institutions. Higher education remains the best investment anyone can make in themselves and their potential.”
According to HigherEdUtah.org, tuition is approved in two tiers. The first tier is a system-wide increase of 1.5 percent to assist institutions in covering additional employee health and retirement costs not funded by the state. The second tier is proposed by each institution separately through their board of trustees for institutional priorities and approved by the regents.
Many other colleges are receiving expensive hikes that will take its toll on students everywhere. The Tribune article reported, “Higher tuition and less state funding is beginning to erode the vitally important mission of community colleges: to provide open access and an affordable basic education. The Legislation should take note.”
Some comfort can be taken from what Bill Sederburg, the commissioner of higher education, noted, “Tuition increases would have been much higher had the Legislature and the Governor not agreed to restore $33 million in higher education budgets.”
