Dixie State University students will likely see a tuition increase of 3 to 7 percent for the upcoming school year, estimated by the Student Fee Allocation Committee.
Tuition and fee proposals for next year were presented at the Truth in Tuition meeting Feb. 11 in the Jennings Building. Student fees this upcoming year will be $331, compared to last year’s student fees, which were $321.50. Dean of Students Del Beatty said the increase is due to the Affordable Heathcare Act and a loss in state revenue. He said there is no way to avoid it.
Student Body President Carlos Morgan, a senior communication major from Santa Clara, said the only way to avoid a larger increase is to lay off faculty, which is not an option because Dixie is growing.
The projected 3 to 7 percent increase will affect tuition rates for this upcoming year. The increase has been 3 percent for the last few years, and students are having a hard time grasping why there is a larger increase this year.
“I came to Dixie because of the low cost of tuition,” said Ami Phillips, a sophomore health science major from Boise, Idaho. “If I would’ve known about the increase, I may have chosen a different university to go to.”
The changes in the student fee allocation recommendation were that there will be a $5.35 increase for recreation needs, a $2.30 increase for computer upkeep, a $2 increase for the Health and Wellness Center, a $1 increase for Testing Center renovations, a $1 one-time expense fund fee, and a $2.50 decrease for the Road to Success program.
“For me, it proved that although some necessary changes are taking place, and we may see a small increase in tuition costs, our administration has our best interests at heart,” said Chris Gallagher, a sophomore general education major from Alpine.
The exact cost of tuition for the upcoming school year will not be released until all decisions are finalized.
