On Monday, Oct. 30, during two open town hall forums held in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center for Human Rights, University of Connecticut administrators presented a plan to increase tuition, housing and dining fees for all undergraduate students to take effect in the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
The $678 rise in tuition, consistent with the five-year tuition plan proposed by UConn in 2019, is augmented by a 2.75% rate increase in lower-demand housing and a 5.00% increase for higher-demand units, along with a separate 2.75% increase in dining rates. For an undergraduate student at Storrs who lives in the cheapest housing rate, Rate 1, and chooses the most affordable dining plan, the Value Plan, the raise in fees totals $1,062. This figure indicates a 3.09% increase in the cost of attendance for an in-state student and a 1.86% for those living out-of-state.
Mandatory fees, the section of a student’s fee bill which includes charges such as the General University Fee, the Student Recreation Center Fee, the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, and the Technology Fee, were not subject to any proposed changes and are projected to remain the same.
Jeffrey Geoghegan, Executive Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at UConn, spoke at the town halls in an effort to explain the University’s increase in housing and dining rates for Fiscal Year 2025. These fee increases are not part of the scheduled five-year plan outlined in 2019, which only explicitly set out projected tuition fees.
Revenues from housing and dining will stay in housing and dining, especially in capital improvement and deferred maintenance.
Jeffrey Geoghegan
“Commodity costs continue to rise, including utilities and food costs,” outlines the proposal presented at the town hall, “Rate increases are needed to partially offset these rising expenses.”
Nationwide inflation has put significant pressure on the University’s operating budget, especially in the domains of housing and dining. September 2023 figures put housing inflation at 5.6%, the consumer price index (CPI) at 3.7%, and food and beverage inflation at 3.7%.
UConn asserted their proposed fee increases remained “modest and in line with financial aid funding,” and where housing is concerned, were “in part, based on student demand for specific rate types.”
This demand-based separation of housing fees means different housing types will see different rates come the next Academic Year. The 5.00% raise for high-demand housing will affect doubles in Werth Hall, Busby, Garrigus, and South Suites and Regular Singles, among other options for on-campus residence.
Despite the increase, Geoghegan explained, housing fees at UConn still remain comparatively inexpensive contrasted with similar institutions such as Boston University, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Commodity costs continue to rise, including utilities and food costs. Rate increases are needed to partially offset these rising expenses.
Jeffrey Geoghegan, in his proposal
UConn’s FY24 Housing and Dining costs of $13,996 were cheaper than 8/10 of the “competitors” referred to in the proposal more expensive than only the University of Vermont and Pennsylvania State University. In this comparative exercise, UConn’s “competitors” are defined as the ten schools that share the most cross-admits with the University.
“Revenues from housing and dining will stay in housing and dining,” Geoghegan promised, “especially in capital improvement and deferred maintenance.”
Following the 2024-2025 Academic Year, the five-year tuition plan implemented by the university in 2019 will elapse. Under guidance from the President, the Provost, and working in tandem with Student Life and Enrollment, the University of Connecticut continues to assess the individual cost within fee categories.
A copy of the University of Connecticut’s 2024-2025 Academic Year Fee Proposal which appeared at the town hall can be found online at https://bpir.uconn.edu/home/announcements/town-hall-meetings/.
A virtual town hall discussion will be held Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 5:00pm via https://ait.uconn.edu/town-hall/. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance at cfo@uconn.edu.