UT regents approve increased tuition and fees

Graphic+by+Paola+Esquivel

Graphic by Paola Esquivel

Josh Peck, News Editor

Starting in Fall 2020, UTSA students on the traditional tuition rate plan will see an increase of 2.6%, or approximately $305.91, in their tuition and fees after the University of Texas (UT) System Board of Regents voted in Nov. 2019 to approve UTSA’s proposed increases. Students on the guaranteed rate plan will see an increase of 7%, or approximately $547.32, to their tuition and fees. This will be followed by another increase of 2.6% and 7% for the traditional and guaranteed rate plans, respectively, in Fall 2021.

College of Science (COS) students who are taking 15 semester credit hours will be charged differential tuition starting Fall 2020. For undergraduate students in the COS, this will mean an increase of $750 to released their tuition, and graduate students in the COS will see an increase of $450 to their tuition.

An additional $15 proposed increase to the Transportation Fee will be subject to a student referendum. Students voted down a similar referendum held in 2018. The university was unable to comment on when the referendum would be held.

UTSA proposed these tuition and fees increases in Fall 2019 after gathering input from students in the President’s Student Advisory Council, Student Government Association Executive Branch and Student Services Fee Advisory Committee.

According to a UTSA Today article from Nov. 2019, the funds will be used to “support student success initiatives, boost faculty support, fund new academic advising resources and provide new revenue to increase the financial aid available to UTSA students who come from households with a median annual income at or below San Antonio’s median income,” as well as help fund an upgrade to UTSA’s technology infrastructure.

UTSA’s tuition and fees increases have been the lowest among UT institutions in the past five years, with an average increase of $511 compared to the $592 to $2,414 average increases at other UT institutions. This year’s increase of 2.6% aligns with the Higher Education Price Index adjusted inflation for the next two years, but it is a departure from UTSA’s average rate increase over the last five years of 1.7%.