University of Connecticut administrators proposed keeping tuition flat, raising the lowest housing and dining rates by 2.75% and raising fees by $292 in a one-year proposal at a tuition and fees town hall meeting Wednesday.
On-campus, in-state students at Storrs with a regular double room and Value meal plan would see a 2% increase in tuition and fees combined with the proposal. On-campus, out-of-state students would see a 1.2% increase in tuition and fees combined.
According to The Daily Campus, UConn’s latest five-year tuition plan from 2019 involved tuition increases of over $600 per year. According to university spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, UConn will present a one-year tuition and fees proposal to the Board of Trustees at their Dec. 11 meeting, as opposed to a five-year proposal.
The meeting began with administrators giving a slideshow presentation of a tuition and fees proposal.
“Tuition has not been held flat since the year 2000; a pause will slow the growth of the tuition rate to ensure that UConn remains an economic value for students and families,” the slideshow said. “We will work to identify opportunities to increase revenues through enrollment growth, philanthropy, and external grants and partnerships while working to reduce costs.”
UConn’s chief financial officer Jeffery Geoghegan said that UConn was targeting an average increase for tuition and fees of 2% or less. According to College Board, the average costs for tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose by 2.7% between the academic year 2023-24 and 2024-25.
“Tuition for UConn is already among the highest for all public universities in the country,” said Geoghegan. “The other focus is to have the continuing affordability for the students and families.”
The proposal would increase the general university fee, which supports programs including athletics, the career development center, cultural centers and student activities. The proposed increase to the fee is $98 for undergraduate and graduate students at Storrs and $8 for undergraduate students at regional campuses.
The proposal would increase the Student Health and Wellness Fee by $80 for undergraduate and graduate students at Storrs and would increase fees by $8 for regional campus students.
The proposal would increase the infrastructure maintenance fee by $70, or a fee increase from $618 to $688, for all students.
Administrators proposed increasing the transit fee by $18 for undergraduates at Storrs from $194 to $212. Geoghegan said that the transit fee does not cover parking but includes the campus shuttle bus service and the UPass, which provides students with free use of most public transportation within Connecticut.
A student activity increase was not set at the town hall, but a cap of $6 for the increase was set for undergraduate students, with a $2 increase for regional undergraduates and graduate students. Currently, undergraduates at Storrs pay $192 for the student activity fees, which covers USG, SUBOG, The Daily Campus and WHUS, according to provost Anne D’Alleva.
The Student Recreation Center Fee would stay the same under the proposal at $500 for undergraduate students at Storrs.
Administrators also proposed an increase to the visa compliance fee from $350 per semester to $450 per semester, which is paid by international students on F-1 and J-1 visas and has not been raised since it was created in 2017. Exchange students attending UConn through bilateral exchange programs, and graduate students who hold graduate assistantships do not pay the fee.
Undergraduate student Angelo Montes asked how UConn would support BIPOC and first-generation students under the fee increase.
D’Alleva said that tutoring services organized by cultural centers assisted first-gen students.
“I would point to our cultural centers which are supported in part by student fees that are essential for the wellness and the success of our BIPOC students,” said D’Alleva.
Graduate student Ben Stumpf argued that graduate students should not have to pay the same fees as undergraduate students because of differing resource use. The proposed fee increase for graduate students is $4 less than for undergraduate students.
“Coming to work either by transit or by parking has become incredibly burdensome,” said Stumpf. “We make this university run, yet it seems like we’re being charged to come to this campus on which we work. So, why are graduate students forced to pay the same amount of fee increases as undergraduates when we use a lot less of these resources?”
Geoghegan said that going forward, UConn will have committees looking into parking.