Two public universities plan to raise tuition for the fall semester, but the University of Central Arkansas is taking a different path.
UCA won't change its undergraduate rates for the first time in 20 years.
"This is something every university, every college president and budget officer is concerned about -- the cost of attendance," UCA President Tom Courtway said. "You want to hold it down as much as you can. We all strive to do the best we can with what we have."
Tuition and fees are usually set by a university's board of trustees in late spring. The rates -- which usually increase annually by 3 percent to 5 percent -- are affected by state funding, enrollment figures and the revenue needs of each institution.
The Arkansas State University System board is meeting in Jonesboro today to take up tuition and fees.
ASU-Jonesboro students face a proposed 4.16 percent across-the-board tuition increase. In-state undergraduates, who currently pay $192 per credit hour, will shell out $200 per credit hour, if approved. For a student taking 15 hours, the tuition cost will rise from $2,880 to $3,000.
Graduate students, out-of-state undergraduates and international students also face about a 4 percent tuition increase.
ASU System officials would not comment on the budget or the tuition and fee proposals until today's board meeting, Jeff Hankins, vice president for strategic communications and economic development, said Thursday.
A nationwide trend of declining college enrollment also has shown up at most Arkansas campuses.
A downward enrollment trend ultimately means less revenue in tuition and fees -- which is usually the biggest source of a university's income. At the same time, state legislators have kept funding levels flat for the institutions. When state funding doesn't keep up with inflationary pressures, the more universities rely on tuition, fees and donations.
The Jonesboro campus first started seeing softening enrollment in fall 2012, when the school had 13,877 students enrolled compared with the 13,900 the year before. In fall 2014, the university tallied some 13,144 students.
According to board documents, the university reduced its expenses by $1.2 million to offset the latest enrollment declines. The university also has started a restructuring process.
Along with the tuition increase, ASU officials are seeking an increase in two mandatory fees paid by every student, regardless of major. The athletics fee would increase from $17 to $19 per credit hour, and the facilities fee would rise from $3 to $4 per credit hour. A student taking 15 credit hours would pay $345 compared with the current $300 rate.
The board also will review the rate for undergraduate students studying in South Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Taiwan and Mexico. That rate is $220 per credit hour, according to board documents.
The proposed increases will help fund budget items, including institutional and performance scholarships; software for enhanced data security; retention efforts; employee health care increases; faculty promotions and equity raises; and minimum-wage increases.
Arkansas voters approved a ballot measure in November to raise the state minimum wage from $6.25 an hour to $7.50 an hour on Jan. 1, to $8 in 2016, and to $8.50 in 2017.
Campuses across the state are aligning their budgets to accommodate the minimum-wage increase.
At Southern Arkansas University, the boost in the minimum wage and increased expenses for maintenance and technology prompted a rise in tuition, said Aaron Street, the university's assistant dean for integrated marketing and media relations.
University officials also hope to give faculty and staff members a cost-of-living increase if enrollment estimates align with the actual figures, he added.
The SAU trustees approved Thursday an across-the-board 3.13 percent tuition increase for its Magnolia campus.
An in-state undergraduate student will pay $7 more in tuition at $217 per credit hour. Of the university's mandatory fees, one for technology rose $1 to $10.50 per credit hour.
Students taking a 15-hour course load currently pay $3,838, but that amount will change to $3,958, Street said.
UCA's tuition and fees will be set by its trustees next week.
Undergraduate students pay $197.25 per credit hour or $2,958.75 for 15 hours. In total, a student taking 15 hours would pay $3,944.40 in tuition and mandatory fees.
If all goes as planned, the rates stay unchanged for the fall 2015 semester.
"I feel very good about it," Courtway said, adding that it was "well-received" by the board at a workshop. "It's an effort by us to hold down the cost to students and families. Others have it done from time to time."
UCA also is planning to disburse funds for a 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment, faculty equity increases and faculty promotion increases, according to a memorandum. Those funds will come from online course fees, a revenue stream that will be added to the university's base budget after university officials deemed it to be consistent, Courtway said.
"We've looked at our budget, and we're going to try to hold our expenses as closely as we can," he said.
A Section on 05/08/2015