Students at UVU to pay $188 more per year

OREM — Utah Valley State College students are slated to pay 6.3 percent more in resident tuition for the 2008-09 school year, when the school will be known as Utah Valley University.

That means an additional $188 out of resident students' pockets annually.

UVSC board of trustees voted unanimously to approve the proposed second-tier tuition hike during its meeting Thursday night on the school's campus.

The first-tier tuition rate is set by the state Board of Regents — a governor-appointed panel that oversees the state's public colleges and universities — and approved by the Legislature.

The second-tier tuition rate is determined by each state public college or university and approved by the regents in the spring.

The state has set the first tier at a 3.5 percent increase. UVSC is recommending a 2.8 percent increase for 2008-09.

UVSC's tuition is $3,000 for residents and $10,500 for nonresidents annually.

With the increase, tuition for residents would be $3,188 while non-residents would pay $10,950 for 2008-09. This is for students taking 12 to 18 credits.

UVSC's tuition generally falls slightly lower than Southern Utah University in Cedar City and a bit higher than Weber State University in Ogden.

"I think it would be a mistake for us to get above SUU," said UVSC President William A. Sederburg.

The national average for colleges and universities is $5,000 annual tuition.

In the Intermountain West, the average is $3,700, Sederburg said, quoting data from the Utah System of Higher Education.

Tuition at UVSC was increased 2.7 percent for 2007-08; hiked 5 percent for 2006-07; increased 5.2 percent for 2005-06; and rose 11.5 percent for 2004-05.

Trustees also unanimously approved during the meeting Thursday night an $18 increase in student fees for a total $282 annual fee.

For the first time in its history, UVSC is setting its graduate school tuition and fees. The school will launch a master's degree in education this fall.

Trustees unanimously approved recommending setting the education graduate tuition at $179 per credit hour. Non-resident tuition would be $605 per credit hour. Fees would be $41 per credit for up to seven credits for resident and non-resident students.