PRICE, Carbon County — Students at Utah colleges and universities could be reeling from tuition sticker shock next fall.
Seriously frustrated with sluggish funding from state lawmakers, higher education leaders are pondering a tuition increase that could eclipse this year's 4 percent hike.
No proposal has been tossed on the table by school presidents or Utah's Board of Regents. It's just talk.
But if words Friday at the higher education governing panel's meeting at the College of Eastern Utah were any indication, students may be forced to pay a good chunk of the cost of salaries, equipment, classrooms and labs.
"In an ideal world, we'd be content to have the state pay 70 percent to 80 percent and the students could pay the difference," said regent Paul Rogers. "But we're in the real world."
But why target students, a cash-strapped demographic, who already pay from $1,582 to $2,790 in fees and tuition each semester, depending on where
they enroll?
Partly because lobby efforts on Capitol Hill during the legislative session have not yielded results for all the system's needs. And, partly because some lawmakers tell regents that they already hold the ability to solve the system's funding woes — with tuition.
Regents historically have tried to keep tuition costs as low as possible, even by charging nonresident students 3.5 percent more than residentstudents.
But enrollments are on the rise; the cost of instruction is going up, and the amount of higher education funding from state coffers has slipped for more than five years.
Also, when compared against counterparts, Utah colleges aren't expensive. In fact, an education at the University of Utah, says President Bernie Machen, is a bargain.
"There's no doubt we need to raise tuition if we want to maintain quality and accessibility," said regent Pamela Atkinson. If tuition is raised, though, Atkinson wants schools to concentrate on financial-aid accessibility.
Norm Tarbox, associate commissioner of higher education, says Utah's institutions have different funding needs and perhaps should be able to set their own tuition rates.
A research institution such as the U. has vastly different funding needs than Salt Lake Community College, he said.
Questions about the cost to attend school — and the regents' ability to solve the system's funding woes by raising tuition — were brought up last month.
The debate won't end soon. Such issues as the tuition price for out-of-state students, creating a sliding scale for tuition according to a student's major scope of study and potential earnings, and whether skyrocketing tuition will force lower-middle-class students out of the market are still swirling.
Regent Chairman Charlie Johnson said a task force studying tuition will scrutinize a potential increase this year.
He also warned that current state funds could be threatened if lawmakers see colleges and universities raking in money from higher tuition.
"If that is threatened," said Rogers, "we'll use every chance to sound the alarm."