UW Resident Undergraduate Tuition Won't Change; Small Increases in Other Categories |  
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Jan. 26, 2007 -- University of Wyoming trustees today (Friday) deferred until March action on a tuition increase for resident undergraduate students, resulting in no tuition increase for the 2007-08 academic year.
They approved a 3 percent increase for resident graduate students, law students and pharmacy students, and an increase of about 6 percent for all non-resident students. Trustees also approved differential tuition rates for students in the College of Law and School of Pharmacy.
This year, non-resident undergraduate tuition and fees at UW were at the 1st percentile among all public doctoral institutions -- meaning 99 percent of all public doctoral institutions assessed non-resident tuition and fees higher than Wyoming. This ranking compares to UW's 7th percentile ranking for resident undergraduate tuition and fees.
Historically UW has applied the same percentage increase to all tuition categories.
Resident undergraduate tuition will remain at $94 per credit hour, for a total of $2,820 for the 2007-08 year academic year. Graduate student tuition for residents was set at $164 per credit hour, for an academic year cost of $2,952.
The per-credit hour tuition for non-resident undergraduates increases from $312 this academic year to $322 in 2007-08, an annual cost of $9,660. Non resident graduate tuition for next year was set at $470 per credit hour, for an annual cost of $8,460.
"The increase for FY 2008 should be considered as an interim step in developing a long-term proposal for adjusting non-resident tuition," said Phill Harris, UW vice president for administration. "The state subsidy for non-resident students needs to be balanced against the typical costs that other public universities charge non-resident students."
Trustees approved raising the resident tuition for students in the School of Pharmacy from $204 to $238 per credit hour, for an academic year total of $9,044. Non-resident pharmacy tuition will increase from $455 per credit hour to $532, for a total of $20,216 for the academic year. This increase includes a base increase plus differential tuition to cover salary and benefit increases plus additional resources to maintain accreditation.
Tuition for Wyoming residents attending law school will increase from $228 per credit hour this year to $247 for the 2007-08 academic year, for an academic year cost of $7,410. The tuition for non-resident law students will increase from $512 to $553 per credit hour, for an academic year cost of $16,590. This includes an increase in the law tuition differential for library support, scholarships and faculty research support.
Harris noted that average tuition increases have fluctuated during the past 10 years, averaging 6 percent per year, while nationally rates have increased 8 percent during the same period. He said that during the past 3-4 years, tuition increases in many states have ranged from 10 percent to 20 percent. Of the 25 comparator institutions in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, UW ranks 23rd in resident tuition and 25th in non-resident tuition costs.
Wyoming is in a good position to keep tuition increases at such a low rate, Harris said, because of the tremendous support from the governor and Wyoming State Legislature in recent years. Salary and benefits, capital outlay and one-time funds have been provided and UW's pressing technology needs have been funded.
However, operating budgets that are met by tuition, such as laboratory and office supplies, postage and phone costs continue to be eroded by inflation.
"Increases in tuition revenue can be used to mitigate the inflationary impact on support budgets and provide for a meaningful adjustment to this budget category," Harris reported. "It is essential that these budgets be adjusted on a regular basis to maintain operations."
Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007
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