The University of Texas System Wednesday presented tuition and fee increase proposals from System institutions, including proposed modest increases from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
UTEP’s student-majority Tuition and Fees Advisory Committee, which developed the University’s proposal, led a consultative campus process in considering tuition and fee increases. Members of the committee held a series of in-person open forums to solicit feedback and suggestions from the UTEP student population, as well as online forums, polls and other comment mechanisms. A transcript of each forum was posted online and remains accessible to those who may not have been able to participate in real time.
“Overall, the feedback was consistent,” said Gary Edens, Ph.D., vice president of student affairs and chair of the committee. “UTEP students understand well the importance of the quality of their academic programs and value of their UTEP degrees, and support modest tuition and fee increases. Clearly, students have concerns about the rising costs of higher education, but they are equally aware that their competitiveness upon graduation from UTEP relies on our capacity to provide them educational experiences comparable to those available to their peers in more affluent settings.”
The requested increases are as follows:
· Increase designated tuition for resident undergraduate students by $5.43/semester credit hour (SCH) in fiscal year 2017 and $5.42 in fiscal year 2018. The requested increase for resident graduate students is $8.95/SCH in fiscal year 2017 and $9.31/SCH in fiscal year 2018. The non-resident undergraduate rate increase is requested at $23.23/SCH in fiscal year 2017 and $24.05/SCH in fiscal year 2018. Non-resident graduate rate increases are requested at $26.94/SCH in fiscal year 2017 and $28.10/SCH in fiscal year 2018.
· Increase the library fee in fiscal year 2017 by $0.75/SCH for all undergraduate students and $1/SCH for all graduate students. The increase is requested to maintain access to current research materials (e.g., the costs of online subscription databases increase by 5-10 percent annually), and to add resources for new programs.
· Increase the student services fee for all students by $0.25/SCH per year for a total increase of $0.50/SCH over the two-year period. This fee is capped at 12 SCH. The additional revenue will sustain financial support for those areas that have a significant impact on student retention and campus life.
· Increase the technology fee for all students by $3.25/SCH in fiscal year 2017 and $4.50/SCH in fiscal year 2018. There has been no increase in the technology fee since fiscal year 2010, and the costs associated with providing ongoing services (maintenance, equipment and software) have increased by approximately 3 percent per year. There also has been an increased demand for such information technology services as expanded mobile device support. The increase would be used to fund equipment replacement and upgrades, expanded technical capabilities and systems backup.
· Establish a sustainability fee modeled after the highly successful green fee that was in place at UTEP from 2011-15. Initiated by a student referendum in 2010, the green fee was popular among students and remains a top priority for members of the Student Government Association. At $3 per semester, the sustainability fee will be administered by a student-majority committee and will provide resources to implement student-recommended environmental and sustainability projects across the campus.
For most UTEP in-state students, the increase in tuition and fees will be about $163 per semester in 2016 and $170 in 2017. For out-of-state students, the increases will be about $430 and $450, respectively, for each fiscal year. For in-state graduate students the increase will be about $121 for 2016 and $126 for 2017; out-of-state graduate students will see increases of $282 and $295, respectively.
Additional revenues will be utilized to enhance student success initiatives and meet other needs of highest institutional priority, including faculty recruitment and retention, support for graduate teaching assistants and technology enhancements to campus.
UTEP’s ongoing successful efforts to ensure affordability and access for its student population have been widely noted by the federal government, national foundations, media and student advocacy groups. The U.S. Department of Education has highlighted UTEP’s extraordinarily low net price as evidence of success in responding to the needs of parents and students who are highly sensitive to the cost and value of a college education. At $6,089 per academic year, UTEP’s net price is the lowest among all emerging research universities in Texas and among all Carnegie-classified research universities nationally.