Members of the Arizona Board of Regents voted to approve undergraduate and graduate tuition increases for students attending ASU, UA and NAU during the 2015-2016 school year on Monday.
Undergraduate in-state students attending ASU will have to pay a $320 fee for one year in the fall. Undergraduate out-of-state ASU students will see a $955 increase in tuition, raising it to $25,458. Undergraduate international students will have the biggest increase in tuition, which will rise 11 percent to $27,258.
After Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey approved a state budget which cut more than $100 million from public university budgets, public officials have been debating ways to help offset costs for students.
Regent Mark Killian was met with opposition from the other board members when he proposed that the fee for in-state students be lowered to $200, with the remaining balance covered by out-of-state and international students.
ABOR Regent Chair Mark Killian discusses increasing 2015-2016 tuition for public universities @statepress pic.twitter.com/yiPEFpjjT6
— Jessica Suerth (@suerthjessica) May 4, 2015
ASU President Michael Crow opposed this amendment during the meeting and said shifting the costs could have an effect on enrollment.
“There are about 50,000 in-state students,” he said at the meeting.“That’s a large number to transfer to out-of-state and international students, which could have a negative impact on enrollment.”
Greg Patterson was one of the ABOR board members who openly opposed the amendment as well and said the quality of a degree should outweigh its price.
“We should keep price within range but also keep a close eye on quality,” he said at the meeting. “There needs to be a price-quality balance. We should be much more concerned with quality than price.”
The board also voted to approve increases in program fees, as well as residence hall, university housing and required meal plan costs. Students will pay approximately $154 more to live in a residence hall, $102 more for the required meal plan and $184 for related university housing.
Other public universities saw tuition increases during the Monday meeting. Undergraduate in-state NAU students will have to pay $369 more per year, while undergraduate out-of-state students will have to pay around $840 more. Incoming in-state UA undergraduates will have to pay $446 more, while those who enrolled prior to fall 2014 will only have to pay $291 more.
Reach the reporter at Jlsuerth@asu.edu or follow @SuerthJessica on Twitter.
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