Utah may be leaving its spot as a low-tuition state behind, with tuition increases surging ahead of national averages.

As tuition hikes nationally taper off, Utah's increases continue to climb, according to data released this week by the College Board.

"We're concerned that we might price some students out of education. We want to watch that carefully," said Mark Spencer, associate commissioner of finance for higher education in Utah. "We would not want to be a high-tuition state with low aid. We're not there yet, but we're looking at it."

While Utah still offers some of the cheapest four-year degrees in the nation, years of near-10-percent tuition increases are quickly edging Utah into a medium-tuition range.

Nationally, tuition at four-year public schools increased by 6 percent this year, the lowest increase since 2000. In Utah, however, four-year schools saw an average increase of 8 percent statewide, according to the College Board report.

The picture is the same for two-year schools, with Utah's tuition increases averaging 9 percent while national averages came in at only 4 percent. Two-year schools in Utah are also bumping up against national averages for tuition, coming in around $2,358 per year compared to $2,272 nationally.

Four-year schools in Utah are still relatively cheap at an average annual cost of $3,891, compared to the national average of $5,836.

"We had more growth a few years ago when other states weren't growing," Spencer said. "The growth has leveled off, but we're still trying to catch up to that."

Utah's nine public institutions have been playing catch-up, with tuition increases peaking in 2003-04 with an 11.1 percent hike. The increase slowed to 9.4 percent and 8.3 percent in the next two years but again surged to 10.6 this year statewide.

"Most of our institutions are below their peers for cost, but we're concerned about the trend," Spencer said. "We hope to moderate those increases if we can."

Paul Brinkman, vice president of budgeting at the University of Utah, said it's too early to say whether Utah will continue to outpace national tuition increases. This year's marked increase is hopefully a one-time deal, he said.

But Utah students may not be getting any substantial reprieve soon. Utah's higher education leaders are hoping to keep tuition increases between 6 percent and 8 percent in the next five years.

Keeping the hikes within those parameters is contingent upon increased state support, Spencer added, which has waned in recent years. Since 2001, higher education's share of the state budget sank from 16 percent to 13.1 percent in the most recent legislative session.

Easing the burden on Utah students could also come with increased financial aid, which received a one-time bump of $2.25 million this year. If that money does not become ongoing, Spencer said, Utah risks becoming a medium-tuition, low-aid state.

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