Tuition increase for UA System

TUSCALOOSA — All three campuses of the University of Alabama System are looking at double-digit tuition increases for the fall.
The proposed tuition hikes are on the agenda Friday when the system’s trustees meet in Tuscaloosa.

Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System, had predicted big budget increases when the Legislature approved a state education budget that cuts universities by 11 percent for the upcoming fiscal year. The Legislature trimmed most areas of education due to the national economic slowdown, but universities took the biggest cut.

Portera said in a statement Tuesday the proposed tuition increases will help ``maintain momentum throughout the system.‘’

``Consistency of effort is absolutely vital. We cannot afford to take two steps forward and one step back, regardless of the outcome of the legislative session,‘’ he said.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is seeking a 14 percent hike for in-state students for the fall semester. The University of Alabama is looking at 12 percent, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham is considering nearly 11 percent, with the exact amount depending on the school in which a student is enrolled.

Out-of-state students would also pay more: 9 percent at UA, 11 percent at UAB and 19 percent at UAH.

Auburn University is also looking at a major tuition increase of 12 percent when the trustees meet later this month.

If Alabama’s trustees approve the increases Friday, the amount in-state students at UA pay in tuition and mandatory fees for a regular academic year would rise from $5,700 to $6,400. Out-of-state students would see an increase from $16,518 to $18,000.

At UAH, in-state students would see an increase from $4,568 to $5,208 for an academic year, and out-of-state students would go from $9,608 to $11,430.

At UAB, the cost has been $4,208 or $4,304 in state-students, depending on which school they attend on campus. That will rise to $4,664 or $4,760. For out-of-state students, the amount will go from $9,296 or $9,392 to $10,352 or $10,448.