Board of Trustees Approves Smallest U of A Tuition and Fee Increase Since Fiscal Year 2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas administrators requested, and the UA System Board of Trustees approved, a 3.5 percent increase in student tuition and fees, beginning in the fall 2013 semester. The increase will raise average undergraduate in-state tuition and fees to $7,818 for two full semesters (30 credit hours), an increase of $246 per student. This is the smallest one-year percentage or dollar increase at the University of Arkansas since fall 2009, the third smallest dollar increase since fall 1998, and the second smallest percentage increase since at least fall 1995.

Chancellor G. David Gearhart credited the Arkansas State Legislature for making the limited increase possible.

“We have to thank the General Assembly for the first significant increase in state funding for higher education in seven years, and Gov. Mike Beebe, who recommended the appropriation increase,” Gearhart said. “We are committed to keeping tuition as low as possible, to maintain a balance between affordability and high quality. We can accomplish that most effectively when we receive this kind of support from the state.” 

In making a case for the tuition increase before the trustees, the chancellor said that faculty and staff salaries are the university’s highest priority for the additional tuition revenue.

“While we have made some progress on the average salaries of our tenured faculty, we remain below the average of our peer schools in the Midwest and Southeastern Conference for the higher faculty ranks of professor and associate professor,” Gearhart told the trustees. “We stand to lose our best faculty if we can’t continue our momentum and reach our goal of being above average in faculty compensation.” 

The 3.5 percent tuition and fee increase includes a new student fee of $1.25 per semester hour to support the University Libraries. The chancellor said that in the past three years the university has provided $500,000 to $1 million in library support, most of it for one-time, critical need funding. He said the new fee will be used to provide the kind of permanent investment needed if the University of Arkansas is to achieve its goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university.