Peter Likins

Governor asked universities to keep this year's increase as low as possible

Top UA officials are keeping a tight lip about the university's fiscal year 2007 tuition proposal, which is expected to be released today.

In a recent interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat, President Peter Likins refused to comment on specifics of the proposal, saying he would discuss it only after it had been released to the public. Other top officials contacted by the Wildcat did not return calls on the subject.

Tuition is the only source of unrestricted funds for the UA, allowing the UA to collect as much as possible without restrictions from students. Tuition accounts for roughly one-third of the UA budget, with the state of Arizona, gifts, grants and contracts accounting for the rest.

Gov. Janet Napolitano said she wanted to see the 2007 tuition proposals as low as possible.

While meeting with the three Arizona university presidents and members of the Arizona Board of Regents, she told them she wanted the 2007 tuition proposals to be as low as possible.

"They got the message clear," Napolitano said.

Napolitano's budget for the state's contribution for UA funding fell $20 million short of the $440 million the UA asked for.

The budget for the $38 million the UA requested to renovate and modernize classrooms was zeroed out in Napolitano's proposal, and the UA may have to raise tuition to pay for the repairs.

When addressing Arizona legislators last week, Likins said although there has been a significant increase in tuition in recent years, the cost of tuition was not prohibitively high.

"We are still cheap," Likins said.

In 2005, resident undergraduate tuition increased by $396 (9.8 percent) and non-resident undergraduate tuition increased by $500 (3.9 percent). Graduate resident and nonresident tuition both saw an increase of $600, which was a 13.9 percent increase for residents and 4.5 percent for nonresidents. Last year also saw a litany of fees students had to pay in addition to their tuition, including a $50 student recreation center fee and a $39 Arizona Financial Aid Trust fee.

In 2004, the UA increased undergraduate tuition for resident undergraduates by $494 (13.7 percent) and resident graduates, who had to pay $744. Nonresident undergraduates were asked to pay $704 (5.7 percent), and nonresident graduate students were required to pay $954 in new tuition.

In 2003, the UA radically increased the price of tuition, approving a $1,000 (39.1 percent) increase for resident undergraduates. It also increased tuition for out-of-state undergraduates and in-state graduate students by $1,250 (11.3 percent). Out-of-state graduate students saw a $1,500 increase in tuition.

The board of regents is expected to set tuition for the UA during its March meeting.