University of Wyoming Board of Trustees will discuss whether or not to increase tuition rates this week, with a final vote taking place on Friday. Under the proposal, in-state tuition would increase by 2%, while non-residents would pay 4% more this fall, and an additional increase of 2% the following year.
Over the past decade, the University of Wyoming’s Vice President for Administration, Douglas Vinzant, says that tuition and fee raises have amounted to an average of approximately 3.5% per year. He says this year’s proposed increase will support UW’s three top non-salary priorities, including libraries, classroom technology and instructional excellence. Benefits would include membership to Greater Western Library Association, which would give students access to the collections of sixty member libraries in the region. He says thanks to state lawmakers' support, this fairly small increase would provide money for things that students will be able to see and appreciate.
"For a resident undergraduate, if you’re taking 15 credit hours per semester for two semesters, they’ll pay a $60 dollar increase for the entire year for the tuition increase for fiscal year 13 and again in fiscal year 14," he says.
Even if tuition is raised to these levels, says Vinzant, the University of Wyoming’s undergraduate resident tuition and fees will continue to be the most affordable in the nation among 151 public doctoral universities.