The University of Alaska Board of Regents will reconsider a tuition hike backed by outgoing UA President Pat Gamble at its meeting next week after it struck down an increase last year.
Gamble has proposed raising tuition costs by 5 percent for the 2015-16 academic year to help mitigate an anticipated multimillion-dollar budget shortfall, according to Kate Wattum, assistant director of UA's Statewide Office of Public Affairs.
The change would affect both in-state and out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students. For an in-state undergraduate, Gamble's proposal translates to an $8 increase per credit for lower level courses. An out-of-state graduate would pay $21 more. In total, the higher tuition rates would bring an additional $5 million to the university system, Wattum said.
In September, the Board of Regents, facing a $26 million budget gap, rejected a 4 percent tuition hike for the 2015-16 school year in a 7-4 vote. Since then, the state's fiscal situation has worsened.
"We felt it was worth taking another look at this," said Carla Beam, vice president of university relations at UA.
The Board of Regents will consider the tuition increase at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 19, which will begin at 8 a.m. at the University of Alaska Anchorage, according to the board's agenda.