Current and incoming students, undergraduate and graduate, should not expect to see an increase in tuition rates for the 2021-22 academic year, according to ASU's fee proposal submitted to the Arizona Board of Regents Friday.
This is the second consecutive academic year ASU President Michael Crow has submitted a proposal with no tuition increase due to the ongoing pandemic and its financial impact on ASU students and their families.
The proposal said the school will put financial aid and "overall student support" at the forefront.
Students and community members were notified of the proposal through social media and in an email Friday that said the majority of proposed fee adjustments applied to graduate-level programs and would apply to students "enrolling at ASU for the first time in fall 2021."
The first page of the 13-page proposal is a summary, and the following two pages highlight the ways in which "ASU continued to advance on numerous fronts" despite hurdles created by the pandemic. Among the successes are a sixth No. 1 in innovation title, renaming of the film school, the opening of four facilities including the Mirabella retirement home and more.
Undergraduate students pay $30 per semester to support programming initiatives, clubs and organizations. The proposal suggests a $5 per semester increase so Undergraduate Student Government can "support increased demand for student engagement programs."
Among the fee adjustments is a proposal for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Undergraduate in-state, on-campus students would see a $140 per semester increase in fees and out-of-state, on-campus students would see a $240 per semester increase.
The proposed fee increase is to help accommodate Herberger's expansion from "one location to four in the next two years," with a new residence hall in downtown Phoenix, ASU at Mesa City Center and programs at ASU's existing Los Angeles building.
All other fee changes in the proposal are for graduate programs, including some online programs.
Some programs through Herberger have a proposed $575 per semester fee increase, such as the master's of architecture, visual communication design, industrial design, interior architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.
The doctor of audiology degree through the College of Health Solutions has a proposed $800 per semester fee increase. The master's of science in communication disorders, nutritional science and strength and conditioning will also see increases.
At the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, the master's of science in regulatory science would have a new program fee of $2,000 per semester.
The online teacher certificate program through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College would have a new fee of $73 per credit. At the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, a $725 per credit hour fee will apply to students in the master's of human resources and employment law program and its online counterpart will charge $658 per credit hour.
Other fees will apply to master's programs in women and gender studies, global affairs and management, crime analysis, policy advocacy, accountancy, taxation and sports law and business. Fees for graduate certificates in marketing and real estate are also proposed to increase.
Resident undergraduate students at NAU and UA should expect to see no tuition increase, according to the schools' respective proposals posted online. At NAU and UA, a 5% and 1.4% increase in tuition for resident graduate students was proposed, respectively.
"As we continue to work together to navigate the complexities related to COVID-19 and other national and global issues, ASU will also continue to exhibit leadership, innovation and service to address and adapt to the ever-evolving social, economic and cultural realities ahead," Crow said in a prepared statement.
In the email to the school community, the University urged students to read the proposal, attend its hearing on April 6 and plan for it to be finalized on April 15.
Reach the reporters at pjhanse1@asu.edu and follow @piperjhansen on Twitter.
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Piper Hansen is the digital editor-in-chief at The State Press, overseeing all digital content. Joining SP in Spring 2020, she has covered student government, housing and COVID-19. She has previously written about state politics for The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Capitol Times and covers social justice for Cronkite News.
