Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Taryn Parsons at taryn.parsons@colorado.edu.
On Feb. 19, the University of Colorado Board of Regents heard a proposal for a new tuition plan, which offers students a fixed tuition guarantee for four years, starting the day they first enroll. Chancellor DiStefano says the change in tuition rates will make costs more predictable for CU students and their families and will add an incentive for students to graduate in four years.
If the plan is implemented, tuition will increase 5 percent for incoming students over the the prior year’s entering class for the next four years. After the initial increase for each class, that class will be locked into that tuition rate for four years. Current sophomores and juniors will see a one-time 5 percent increase in their tuition in the next year, and seniors will experience a one-time 3 percent tuition increase.
If students go beyond their four-year guarantee period before graduating, they will then pay the tuition rates of the following class of entering students. Tuition will still be paid per credit hour up to 12 credits, after which each additional credit can be taken with no charge.
Another tuition plan proposed to the board suggests an annual increase of 3 percent per year for the next four years for all students. This plan also provides predictable tuition rates for incoming and current students. The same 12-credit-hour maximum charge would apply for this alternative.
Tuition increases in prior years have been unpredictable. From the 2014-2015 school year to this school year, out-of-state College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, College of Music and College of Engineering and Applied Science students’ tuition rates increased by roughly 3 percent, while students in the Leeds School of Business experienced a 2.7 percent tuition increase and students in the College of Media, Communication and Information have seen an increase of 6.7 percent.
In-state students in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Music and College of Engineering and Applied Science experienced less than a 3 percent tuition increase this year, while students in the Leeds School of Business only had a 1.9 percent increase. Students in the College of Media, Communication and Information experienced a staggering 15.6 percent tuition increase.
While the proposed tuition plan will initially increase many students’ tuition, it will decrease the average rate of tuition increases overall. Chancellor DiStefano says the tuition plan will require the board to be innovative in how it manages resources and deals with economic ups and downs, but it will ultimately benefit the student body.
The chancellor hopes the regents will approve a plan at their meeting on April 5 and 6. They will set a new tuition rate table no later than June 30.
