The University of Arizona is proposing a new streamlined way to charge undergraduate and graduate tuition for the 2024-25 school year in an effort to increase “clarity and predictability,” according to UA President Robert Robbins.
The proposal, which will need to be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, consolidates the undergraduate tuition and fees into three components: base tuition, student engagement fees which combine all mandatory fees, and the college fee model, which will eliminate course/program fees except for the W.A. Franke Honors College.
For graduate students, the UA proposal means only paying base tuition and a program fee where applicable, based on the program the student is enrolled in.
Tuition transparency and affordability has been a popular reason why students enroll in the UA, Robbins said in his statement.
“Our value of integrity is reflected in the guaranteed tuition model that, starting in fall 2014, gave students certainty and has been cited consistently as a major factor in the decision to attend the University of Arizona,” the president said.
The UA’s website states the estimated cost for an Arizona resident living on campus to attend the university as an undergraduate is $33,200 per year. For non-Arizona residents, the cost for an undergraduate is estimated to be $58,200 per year. The estimates include the cost of tuition without financial aid, housing expenses, the expected cost of books, and other fees.
The UA will be presenting their proposal to the Arizona Board of Regents on Nov. 2 and a public hearing is set to be livestreamed on Nov. 7. The Board of Regents will vote on the proposal on Nov. 16.
“This proposal is the culmination of significant planning and thoughtful reflection from leaders throughout the university community, including those in the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and the Graduate and Professional Student Council,” Robbins wrote in a letter to ABOR earlier this month. “Through these conversations there is agreement with the Board’s desire to both provide greater clarity and predictability for students and their families, while retaining flexibility to meet our ongoing financial obligations.”
Enrolling in the W.A. Franke Honors College as an undergraduate student will still have an additional fee — in the proposal it would increase to $600 per term for an expansion of honors courses, faculty fellowship, and advisory support, among other things.
For graduate level programs, the college of nursing’s Master of Science program is changing from a fixed rate, which was formerly $48,000 per program for residents and $68,000 for non-residents, to a financially equivalent program fee of $5,000 per term for both residents and non-residents.
Additionally, the Eller College of Management is increasing the per-credit cap to $1,350 for residents and $1,600 for non-residents to support the new Master of Science in Business Analytics.
Finally, the proposal includes creating a new $750 per term fee for the college of medicine graduate program.
Robbins is optimistic about the proposal and its impact on students.”
“These shifts will help provide stability and predictability for students and their families, while also reducing the administrative burden for numerous colleagues across the University,” he wrote in his letter to ABOR. “They are a critical part of the ongoing efforts at the University of Arizona, guided by the Board’s goals, to operate efficiently and provide the highest quality experience and education for our Wildcats, for years to come.”
