Continues trend of keeping average tuition increase as low as possible

The Utah State Board of Regents approved an average system-wide tuition increase of 3.7% for the 2016-17 academic year—the second-lowest average increase since 1999—at their meeting today at Dixie State University. The increase is 3.5% at six of Utah’s eight higher education institutions.

Commissioner of Higher Education David Buhler said, “Students are our highest concern. We want to keep tuition as low as possible while providing them a high-quality education. The Board of Regents and institutional presidents have worked hard to ensure the cost of college remains affordable so that the dream of a college education remains accessible to all Utahns.”

The tuition rates at Utah’s public colleges and universities are among the lowest in the Western region. In fact, Utah has the third-lowest average tuition rates for public universities in the nation. The approved 2016-17 tuition increase is 3.5% at six of the eight public institutions in the state; the tuition increase is 3.9% at the University of Utah, and 5% at Dixie State University.

One of the primary roles of the Board of Regents is to set the tuition rate for all eight public colleges and universities in Utah. This low increase is in keeping with the Board’s strategic objectives (adopted in 2015) of “Affordable Participation” and “Timely Completion,” as finances are often a reason students delay or do not complete their higher education.