University raising tuition by 3.95 percent in fall

University President Rodney Mabry introduces himself and SGA President Amy Whitehouse to the UT System Board of Regents in Austin on Tuesday.  The board met to discuss a 4 percent tuition increase next semester.  Photo by Kyle G. Horst.

AUSTIN - Regents for the University of Texas System agreed to raise tuition for all campuses including a 3.95 percent increase for UT Tyler during a special meeting Wednesday.

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 will 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.

The meeting in Ashbel Smith Hall included nearly 90 minutes 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.

Amy Whitehouse, president of the Student Government Association, speaks to the University System Board of Regents at the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday. Photo by Kyle G. Horst.

"We've been working on cost containment, adjusting thermostats with the weather and participating in shared purchasing, but its 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.

Amy Whitehouse

"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.