UVSC tuition is going up

OREM — Prepare to write a bigger check.

Utah Valley State College leaders approved rate increases Thursday that will raise the cost of attending the school.

At its monthly meeting Thursday night, UVSC's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase "second-tier" tuition by 5.25 percent.

The second-tier tuition rate — as opposed to the first-tier, which is a base rate set by the governor-appointed Utah Board of Regents for all of Utah's public colleges and universities — is the amount the school is allowed to propose for itself.

The increase, combined with a first-tier tuition increase of 3.5 percent expected to be approved by the regents at an upcoming meeting, make the total increase nearly 9 percent.

Regents are scheduled to meet to discuss the proposed first-tier increases March 18.

In 2004-2005, a full-time Utah resident paid $1,186 a semester. Next year, the first-tier and second-tier increases combined will be $104 a semester.

A full-time non-resident last year paid $4,151 a semester. Total tuition increases will be $364 a semester next year.

The trustees also voted unanimously to increase student fees by 6.25 percent.

Fees for all UVSC students will go up $13. As a result, next year students will pay $221 per semester, up from $208 each semester last year.

UVSC President William Sederburg told the trustees he's OK with the increase, the lowest that tuition has been raised in years. The Legislature approved to give the college a fair amount of money, which helped curb increases, he said.

For many students, it's less expensive to attend college in Utah as a nonresident than to stay in their home states and pay resident tuition.

---

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com