Regents approve tuition increase

Approved tuition increases ranged from 3.36 to 5.06 percent targeted to begin this fall. UT Dallas is the only campus not increasing tuition for current students, however, new students there face a 3.95 percent increase while non-resident undergraduate and graduates are scheduled pay 9 percent more.

Representatives from Arlington, Austin, Dallas and Tyler campuses all asked for the capped amount of 3.95 percent each year for the next two years.
UT Tyler asked for a 3.95 percent increase but the regents approved a slightly higher amount. That means full time students will pay $140 more per semester.

The meeting in Ashbel Smith Hall included nearly two hours of reports on proposed tuition increases and budget cuts from institution and student government presidents from all nine UT academic components.

“These increases represent thoughtful, responsible planning on the part of students, faculty and administrators and the increases will allow our academic and health institutions to continue on an upward trajectory for the benefit of our students,” Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa said in published announcement.

In their presentations to the board, each UT component president outlined what they are doing to reduce costs, what areas may be affected due to budget cuts and what they hope to achieve over the next two years.

“We’ve been working on cost containment, adjusting thermostats with the weather and participating in shared purchasing, but it’s not enough to offset the falling funding per student,” UT Tyler President Rodney Mabry told the board.

Student government leaders told the board how their students felt about the tuition increase and the various ways they communicated with the student body about raising tuition.

“I spoke with a lot of students about the four percent increase and they were for it,” said Amy Whitehouse, president of the Student Government Association at UT Tyler.

Raghuveer Puttagunta, SGA president from UT Pan America, told the board how their student government conducted an online forum, three community forums, advertised in the school newspaper and sent e-mails to students about the tuition increase.

Other student presidents talked about forming student advisory committees, inviting financial advisers to address their SGA, presenting public webcasts and updating information on the main campus website for public and parental feedback.

Staff writers Melissa Green, Ashley Cumptson and Hattie Kemp contributed to this report.