2019-20 Tuition and Fee Proposals

Memorandum

To: Arizona Board of Regents  
From: UA President Robert C. Robbins 
Date: March 22, 2019
Subject: 2019-20 Tuition and Mandatory Fee Proposals

I am pleased to submit the University of Arizona's tuition and mandatory fees proposal for the 2019-2020 academic year. As a reminder, more than 99% of continuing undergraduate students will see a 0% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for 2019-2020, due to their enrollment in the tuition guarantee program.

Last November, I shared the University's strategic plan with the Board and unveiled a bold, distinctive, and differentiated vision for our future. The plan calls for strategic and nuanced decisions around investments, which allow the UA to tackle society's biggest challenges and prepare graduates to successfully carry forward the torch of inspirational human endeavor. Tuition and fee increases compose one small piece of institutional funding strategies for these investments, along with increased operational efficiencies, general appropriations, investment income, auxiliaries income, and available reserves. Combined, they allow us to advance our vision through the strategic plan's five pillars: 

• The Wildcat Journey-driving student success for a rapidly changing world
• Grand Challenges-tackling critical problems at the edges of human endeavor
• The Arizona Advantage-driving social, cultural, and economic impact
• UA Global-engaging the world
• Institutional Excellence-ensuring UA lives its values and innovative culture to enable a high-performing academic and administrative enterprise

In a similar spirit of making strategic, nuanced decisions, the UA proposes the following increases to tuition and mandatory fees for 2019-2020: 

• Undergraduate, guaranteed resident tuition will increase 2.00%.
• Undergraduate, guaranteed non-resident tuition will increase 1.00%.
• Undergraduate, non-guaranteed tuition will increase 5.00%.1
• Graduate, resident tuition will increase 1.89% at the Tucson campus, and 1.59% at the South campus. This equates to the same dollar increase as undergraduate, guaranteed resident tuition at those locations.
• Graduate, non-resident tuition will not increase for the 2019-2020 academic year.
• College of Medicine, resident tuition will increase 3.00% at the Phoenix campus and for first-year students at the Tucson campus; second through fourth year resident students in Tucson will see no increase for the 2019-2020 academic year.
• College of Medicine, non-resident tuition will not increase for the 2019-2020 academic year on either campus.
• Mandatory fees will not increase for the 2019-2020 academic year, with the exception of Recreation Center Program fee that increases annually based on the Consumer Price Index, and the Arizona Financial Aid Trust fee that increases based on an approved tuition increase.

As a reminder, incoming undergraduate students for the 2019-2020 academic year will be guaranteed the new tuition and fees rate for four consecutive years. Incoming graduate students for the 2019-2020 academic year will be guaranteed the new mandatory fees rate for four consecutive years. As expressed by student leadership, the tuition and fees guarantee remains a valued program for students and parents, allowing them to plan for the cost of attendance across the life of a student's experience at the UA. 

All of the enclosed materials are a result of collaborative dialogue with student leaders from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA), the Associated Students of the University of Arizona South (ASUAS) and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC). Over the course of multiple meetings of student leaders and university administration, students were provided detailed information about the UA's historical and current financial picture, projected trends in revenues and expenses, peer institutional data, and the need for additional institutional investments. Through collaboration, compromise, and thoughtful discussion, the group supports the tuition and fees increases as noted above. 

I look forward to the upcoming opportunities to discuss this proposal with the Regents. We appreciate their continued support as we advance the mission of the University of Arizona and deliver on the promise to serve the diverse population of our state in ways that meet the unique needs of Arizonans.