UConn President: Fees Should Not Increase

STORRS, CT - University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst is recommending that fees not increase for the 2016-17 academic year.

The announcement was made Tuesday.

The UConn Board of Trustees has the final say, but Herbst was clear in a letter to students that she believes fees should not go up.

For undergraduate students, major semester fees include $957 in mandatory fees, $3,330 for rooms and a $2,888 dining fee, according to a chart released Tuesday. The respective major graduate fees would stay at $708, $4,078, and $2,888, according to the chart.

Tuition is already going up in a four-year plan approved by the trustees.

Currently, UConn tuition is $10,524 annually for Connecticut students and $32,066 for non-residents.

For in-state students, tuition will increase by $700 in the semester beginning in the fall. Then it will increase by $775 in 2017-18; by $850 in 2018-19; and by $950 in 2019-20.

Out-of-state and international students’ tuition will go up by $950 for the 2016-17 academic year, in $1,050 for 2017-18; by $1,150 in 2018-19; and by $1,250 in 2019-20.

Here is a letter from Herbst to students regarding the fees decision released Tuesday:

Dear Students,

I write to inform you that after careful consideration, I have decided that the university will not recommend that the Board of Trustees increase any mandatory student fees for this coming academic year, 2016 – 2017.

As you know, the university has a variety of student fees designed to support key areas of university operations. These fees include: Housing, Dining, Technology, Transit, Infrastructure Maintenance, and others that are specific to student activities, such as the Daily Campus and USG.

Each year, UConn’s Student Fee Advisory Committee and other fee committees make recommendations to the university’s leadership regarding certain student fees. After discussion and analysis, the university then typically recommends to the Board of Trustees that a portion of these fees be increased.

In addition to Housing and Dining, the most significant fee is the General University Fee, which is $957 a semester and goes to support a number of critical functions at UConn.

This year, the Student Fee Advisory Committee recommended an increase to the General University Fee of 3.69 percent.There was also discussion internally regarding potential increases to other fees for next year, particularly Housing and Dining.

UConn has very carefully managed its budget to ensure we are as lean and efficient as we can be, while still fulfilling our mission. Because of that and other factors we do not believe that any increase to mandatory fees – or to Housing and Dining fees – are necessary for the coming year. (Note that there are some academic materials fees associated with specific courses that may be increased or decreased).

As always, we must work to ensure that UConn remains competitive when it comes to cost, balancing affordability with the cost of operating the university and serving our students.

At the same time, state government continues to experience persistent, serious financial challenges. This has resulted in approximately $118 million in cuts, rescissions and fund sweeps to UConn in the last six years alone. In response, UConn has cut costs, dramatically slowed hiring, created efficiencies and increased tuition.

As UConn’s state funding continues to be unstable in the coming years, we will be left with few options but to rely increasingly on tuition and fees to fund the university, meet our obligations to students, and maintain our excellence as an institution.

However, our budget is built from year to year and is dependent on a number of variables, which may change from year to year. We are confident that we will be able to produce a balanced budget next year without any increase to Housing, Dining or mandatory fees.

Sincerely,

Susan Herbst

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Photo Credit: UConn