UConn officials say they are proposing a tuition plan that would limit annual increases to their lowest levels in five years.
Under the plan, which is being presented to students at two town hall meetings today, in-state tuition would increase $3,200 by 2024’s fall semester.
The five-year plan calls for in-state tuition to increase by $608 in fall, 2020; $625 in fall 2021; $642 in fall 2022; $660 in fall 2023; and $679 in fall 2024, according to UConn.
In-state tuition is currently $13,798, while out-of-state tuition is $36,466.
The tuition hikes are smaller than previous ones, UConn officials said. Under the last multi-year tuition plan in 2015, tuition for in-state students rose by $950 for fall, 2019. UConn President Thomas Katsouleas said the university is able to raise tuition at a lower rate, largely because of funding from the state.
“In my early conversations with Gov. [Ned] Lamont and members of the General Assembly, I asked that they do all they could to hold state funding for UConn steady,” Katsouleas said. “That happened for the current fiscal year, and I am hopeful it can continue. As a result, we are able to propose tuition increases that are significantly lower than those enacted in recent years.”
UConn officials will pitch the tuition plan to the school’s board of trustees financial affairs committee Dec. 9, and then to the full board Dec. 11.
The university could revise the plan if state funding drops off significantly in the future. A state block grant currently pays about 47 percent of UConn employees’ salaries, according to UConn, while the remaining 53 percent is funded through tuition, fees, grants and other sources.
UConn officials say the tuition proposal reflects the smallest possible increase necessary to
protect the academic gains made over the years. Those gains have helped transform the university into one of the nation’s top 25 public institutions.
The university also says it continues to reduce costs through consolidations and operational efficiencies.
In October, Katsouleas announced tuition for in-state students whose parents earn $50,000 or less annually will receive free tuition. The so-called Connecticut Commitment plan will be available to eligible freshmen beginning fall, 2020.
