FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees approved an increase in tuition and fees for the Fayetteville campus that will go into effect for the fall 2019 semester.

The 2.5 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduates equates to an increase of $6.16 per credit hour. The increase is one of the smallest since 2010 and comes a year after the university was able to avoid any increase in tuition for students from Arkansas.

"I'm pleased that we were able to maintain a lean budget, allowing us to keep this increase well below historical rates," said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. "Keeping costs as low as possible for our students and their families is extremely important to us, so any decision to raise tuition or fees in order to continue to provide the quality and value of a University of Arkansas education, requires a great deal of thought and consideration."

Overall, with tuition and fees combined, the increase for in-state undergraduates will be 2.8 percent or a total increase of $8.53 per credit hour.

The university's goal is to keep any potential increases to the level of the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) that indicates how inflation impacts U.S. colleges and universities on an annual basis. The price index showed that inflation for colleges and universities rose 2.8 percent in fiscal year 2018.

Tuition and fees for out-of-state undergraduates will increase by $23.53 per credit hour or 2.8 percent.

Tuition and fees for graduate students from Arkansas will increase less than 2.7 percent; out-of-state graduate student tuition and fees will go up by 2.8 percent.

Policy details including rate information for the tuition and fees approved for the 2019-20 academic year are available online.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.