Arkansas Tech won’t increase tuition

RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University will not raise tuition and mandatory fees for students for the 2024-25 academic year, after approval by the university’s board of trustees Thursday.

This year, tuition and mandatory fees at ATU’s Russellville campus are $9,972.30, assuming 30 credits taken per year, which is the case for most undergraduate students. That’s a 3% increase from 2022-23.

In-state, undergraduate tuition will remain at $249.78 per student semester credit hour, and in-state, graduate tuition will remain at $314.50 per student semester credit hour, according to Sam Strasner, ATU’s director of University Relations. Undergraduate and graduate mandatory fees at ATU in Russellville will remain at $82.63 per student semester credit hour.

ATU had higher enrollment in the fall and this spring than the university projected, which allowed the university to keep tuition and mandatory fees flat for 202425, said Russell Jones, ATU’s interim president. However, students will experience an average 2% increase in the cost of their education across four years due to a college administrative fee.

The exact fee will vary based on major, because “some degrees just cost us more to offer than others,” and will be applied to courses in a given student’s major, not general education classes, Jones said. The vast preponderance of funds from this fee will “go back to Academic Affairs to recoup” some “dramatic cuts” in recent years, and roughly $1.1 million is expected to be generated from the college administration fee next year if enrollment is similar to this year, he said.

There were 7,393 students enrolled through ATU in Russellville on the 11th day of classes this fall, down 4.1% from last year, according to the university.

The university expects to graduate roughly 1,100 students during spring commencement May 10-11, Jones said Thursday.

Also, out-of-state students who have paid non-resident tuition can receive in-state rates if they maintain a minimum GPA of 2.25 under the plan approved by trustees Thursday. Non-resident undergraduates otherwise would pay twice as much — roughly $500 — per semester credit hour as in-state students in 2024-25.

Last year, ATU changed the tuition rate for this school year for graduate and doctoral students so that residents and non-residents paid the same per semester credit hour, a change made for recruiting purposes, according to Jones. In addition, ATU athletes already are charged the in-state rate no matter where they’re from, and students from “border states” — Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma — also pay the in-state rate.

Only about 7% of ATU’s current students pay the outof-state/international tuition rate, according to Strasner.

“We figure our break-even is at 42 students, so we just need to attract 42 students” from out-of-state with the new rate to make it worthwhile for the university, Jones said. The change “makes us more competitive,” both for out-of-state students who attend ATU in person and for those who take ATU’s online courses.

The proposal approved by the trustees “makes a lot of sense” and it’s “creative,” said trustee Stephanie Duffield. It’s innovative, outside-the-box thinking and also addresses retention.

There won’t be any increase in rates for Residence Life for 2024-25, either, following approval by the trustees.

This “keeps things affordable for our students,” said Keegan Nichols, vice president for Student Affairs, who estimates roughly 2,100 students occupying residence halls in 2024-25.

Students can also receive a 25% tuition waiver if they work 20-24 hours per week for a year in certain designated roles under another proposal adopted Thursday by the trustees. To qualify, students must be enrolled full-time and have a GPA of at least 2.0.

The university will save money because it will not provide health and benefits for the positions, due to the limited weekly hours, according to Laury A. Fiorello, vice president of Administration and Finance. “We estimate that 10 positions can be identified as natural attrition takes place with estimated benefit savings, salary savings and net the waiver costs to approximate savings totaling between $150,000 and $185,000.”

Additional positions for eligible students could be identified later, said Suzanne McCall, assistant vice president of Administration and Finance. “As of right now, it’s 10, [but] I’m sure there will be others as the semester progresses.”

Trustees also approved several capital projects to launch this summer, with a total estimated cost of $1 million. Projects include cleaning, painting and waterproofing of facilities, as well as computer lab updates, among other enhancements.

They also approved a request from ATU-Ozark to offer a certificate of proficiency in automation (controls fundamentals). If approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the certificate will launch this fall.

“I’m really excited about this possibly adding to our automation program,” as it will be “a real win for high school students” — via concurrent enrollment — and “our students,” said Sheila Jacobs, ATU-Ozark’s interim chancellor. This new certificate is “industry driven and supportive of our K-12 partners.”

Trustees also approved Duffield, of Russellville, as secretary to replace Michael Lamoureux, who was appointed by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson in 2022 to a fiveyear term scheduled to expire Jan. 14, 2027, but who resigned from the board earlier this month. His replacement on the board will be named by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

In February, trustees voted to allow ATU’s College of Business and Economic Development to move forward with construction of a new building for the agriculture program.

Though still in the design phase, the edifice would be roughly 1,980 square feet, housing welding equipment, tools, and other equipment, according to Fiorello. The estimated maximum cost of construction is $450,000, but fundraising can lower the university’s cost for the building.

“I hope we get some donations (and believe we will),” Len Cotton, the board’s chairman, said during the February meeting, calling it a “very worthwhile project.”

Cotton proved prophetic, as “we have gifts already of nearly $400,000,” Jones said Thursday. “It’s amazing the support we’ve gotten, [as] Ag is alive and well at ATU, and lots of people want to support” it.

In-state, undergraduate tuition will remain at $249.78 per student semester credit hour, and in-state, graduate tuition will remain at $314.50 per student semester credit hour, according to Sam Strasner, ATU’s director of University Relations.