College tuition in Utah climbs

For some University of Utah students, the 9.5 percent tuition increase approved Friday by the State Board of Regents isn't just a bunch of numbers or a few dollars in change.

To these students, the tuition hike means working another job or going deeper in debt with student loans. At worst, it could mean simply dropping out of school.

"It just closes the door and makes it impossible for people who don't have privileges. It creates a wider chasm for the haves and have nots," said Kip Rishton, 53, of Draper, a senior majoring in social work. He will be in graduate school at the U. this fall and said he already has $30,000 in student loan debt.

The regents finalized a 1 percent Tier 1 tuition increase for the 2009-10 school year for Utah's nine colleges and universities during their meeting in St. George on Friday.

The regents also approved the Tier 2 tuition increases proposed by the individual higher education institutions.

The total tuition increase, starting this fall, ranges from 4 percent at Salt Lake Community College to 9.5 percent for Snow College and the U.

"That's crazy," said U. junior Sydney Osmun, 21, of Elko, Nev. A parks, recreation and tourism major, she pays out-of-state tuition, which is more than three times the cost of resident tuition.

"Look at the economic crisis we are in. They are telling people to go back to school because of the job market," Osmun said. "Now we're not going to be able to afford to go to school. So what are we supposed to do?"

The state average hike in tuition is 7 percent, or $391 annually for resident lower-division undergraduate students taking 15 hours for two semesters.

Tier 1 tuition is set by the state and is applied across the board to all state higher education institutions.

Tier 1 tuition is traditionally meant to cover the required institutional share of the compensation package that is funded by the Legislature. However, this year's 1 percent increase is designed to assist students and aid institutions in coping with current economic conditions, with half set aside for student financial aid and the rest for a school's critical needs.

Last year, the regents raised Tier 1 tuition by 4 percent.

Tier 2 tuition is proposed by individual colleges and universities and varies from school to school.