UA Board Quizzes Colleges On Tuition Hikes

The University of Arkansas board of trustees quizzed a number of four-year college administrators on their varying requests to raise tuition next year.

Rob Moritz with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, reports:

At the request of UA Board Chairman Jane Rogers, institutions requesting tuition and fee increases exceeding 3.5 percent appeared before the committee. Rogers said it would be prudent for the panel to take a close look at each request. UA-Fayetteville, which requested a 3.5 percent increase, did not have to appear.

While each of the four other university’s proposed tuition and fee increases varied depending on funding needs and budgets of the individual campuses, chancellors at each school told the five-member panel that some funding would go to student retention and faculty and staff support.

UA Trustee Jim Von Gremp told Beran that the median family income in Arkansas is $41,000 and it rises about .2 percent per year, about $82.

“How do we justify to families of students the kind of increase you are asking for?” Von Gremp asked.

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith officials are requesting a 7.5 percent increase in tuition, while the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and University of Arkansas-Little Rock schools are seeking a 4.9 percent hike.

The University of Arkansas-Monticello is requesting a 5.4 percent increase and University of Arkansas-Fayetteville officials have sought a 3.5 percent increase.

Read more here.