OREM — A newly released report by three higher-education experts estimates the cost of turning Utah Valley State College into a regional state university will be at least $10 million.

In addition to the price tag, the report, which took a serious look at UVSC's preparedness to become a university, warns about potential tuition increases to pay for new programs, how undergraduate education would be affected by the introduction of graduate programs on campus, and threats to academic freedom.

"The prestige and pride that would come with a Utah Valley State University designation should not be considered without a sober assessment of the implications and costs of such a move," states the report released Tuesday.

But Bill Sederburg, UVSC president, and Richard Kendell, commissioner of Utah's System of Higher Education, both said the report is generally positive and shows that the Orem school is on the right track as it rolls toward university status.

The report was written after the team visited the school in October.

Kenneth Mortimer, senior associate for the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; L. Jackson Newell, president emeritus of Deep Springs College; and Paul Reichart, provost at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, submitted the report in July.

Most important to Sederburg is the report's suggestion that the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the accrediting body that measures schools' education standards, will not object to a move to university status.

"They're saying, in fact, that we need to inform Northwest about (a change to university status). We need to work with Northwest, but there are not huge hurdles to overcome," Sederburg told the Deseret Morning News.

Reichart was asked to join the other two authors on the study because of his intimate knowledge of UVSC. He was the chairman of the committee that OK'd UVSC's reaccreditation last year.

Sederburg said additional money that would be funneled to the school in its quest to become a university would be used to hire 80 more faculty members, additional advisers and administrators and to adjust teaching loads.

The report warns that money to pay for more faculty and staff would likely result in "steep" tuition increases — but both Sederburg and Kendell said much of the money could be allocated by state lawmakers.

Kendell said he is mulling whether to ask the Legislature for the money in one lump sum or increments over several years.

"No doubt students will help to some degree with tuition," Kendell said. "I want to emphasize this: We don't want to see tuition used to change the mission."

In addition, Sederbug said the number of graduate programs at the school would be limited so the quality of teaching undergraduates will not suffer.