The University of Tennessee board of trustees will be considering a record fifth year of tuition increases when it meets June 21.
The proposed increases range from 2 to 2.5%, which are within the 2.5% maximum set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
UT Chattanooga has proposed a 2.5 increase, which would result in a $216 increase from fiscal year 2018-2019 to fiscal year 2019-2020.
UTC also has proposed a new tuition structure called Soar in Four for new students starting in fall 2019.
Students entering under the Soar in Four program will pay a flat rate of $9,656 for 15 credit hours or more a semester rather than the current rate based on taking 12 hours of classes per semester.
By taking at least 15 hours a semester, students should be able to graduate within four years.
Soar in Four is similar to programs already established at UT Knoxville and UT Martin.
UT Knoxville has proposed a 2% increase, which is a $258 increase from fiscal year 2018-2019 to fiscal year 2019-2020.
The majority of the increase is for tuition, but also includes a $26 increase to the student programs and services fee, which will be used toward a future recreational sports project anticipated for fiscal year 2023-2024. The rate also includes a $10 library fee increase, which will be used to help offset annual inflation rates.
UT Martin has proposed a 2.5% increase, which is $236 more from fiscal year 2018-2019 to fiscal year 2019-2020. The proposed increase will cover the growth in costs of providing programs to its students.
UT began self-limiting tuition increases in 2015 and has not had five consecutive years of undergraduate tuition increases of 3% or less in 51 years.
“The University of Tennessee continues to do all it can to make sure higher education is accessible for all Tennesseans,” UT Interim President Randy Boyd said. “From keeping our tuition low to establishing UT Promise, we want to help ease the financial burden for our students and their families.”
Earlier this year, UT unveiled the UT Promise scholarship, which will start during the fall of 2020.
It is a last-dollar scholarship program that will guarantee free tuition and fees for students with a family household income of under $50,000 and after other financial aid is received.
Students must qualify for the Hope Scholarship and meet the academic qualifications for the institution to be eligible for this new scholarship.
To help ensure success, students will be matched with volunteer mentors and will complete four hours of service learning each semester.
Proposal and comment forms may be found at trustees.tennessee.edu/tuition-and-fee-proposals.
Source: UT Board of Trustees