Student Regent appointee: Tuition hikes reasonable

Nobody likes it when prices go up. That certainly holds true for Arizona students and families when tuition and fees increase at Arizona’s public universities.

As both an Arizona State University student and an appointee to the Arizona Board of Regents, I get it. And I feel the challenges and pressures in both of my roles.

More than 110 years ago, our state’s forefathers recognized the value of a college degree to both the individual and the economy when they drafted the Arizona Constitution. As a fellow ASU student pointed out in a recent guest editorial, the Constitution clearly states that instruction at a state university shall be “as nearly free as possible."

Today, the challenges to provide a “nearly free” public college education are complex and immense. To my fellow students, and the public, I’d like to shine a light on some of these challenges as well as share some of the important strides we are making.

Fundamentally, funding a university education is a partnership between state and federal governments, the university and families.

At the federal level, Pell Grants are available to students with financial need. Nearly 45,000 ASU undergraduates took advantage of this support during the 2020-21 academic year.

At the state level, Arizona is at the bottom of the list in per capita spending for higher education. However, in the current year the Legislature stepped up and provided $68.5 million to fund the New Economy Initiative at all three Arizona public universities and provided an additional $7.5 million for the Promise Program, which gives financial assistance to students whose federal Pell Grants or other financial aid don’t cover the cost of college tuition and fees.

Through various financial aid options, our universities work hard to minimize the cost of attendance as much as possible. And this approach is indeed successful: After gift aid, at ASU the average resident undergraduate pays $3,866 in tuition and fees. In the 202021 academic year, nearly 14,000 students from middle income families earning between $35,000-$119,999 received gift aid to assist with their college tuition costs.

As an institution, ASU also funds need-based programs for Arizona resident students as well as the popular Obama Scholars program. I also am very proud that Northern Arizona University just announced their plan to provide tuition-free college for Arizona residents with household incomes at or below $65,000 – a transformative step to make college more accessible.

It is important to note, however, that many of these financial aid plans come at a fiscal cost to the university, which already incurs significant costs to educate each student. ASU spends $16,725 per pupil to provide its first-class education. Although the university receives greatly appreciated support from the state and from other sources, these revenues do not come close to matching the costs of educating tens of thousands of students.

Still, this year ASU continued its 2012 pledge to limit resident undergraduate tuition increases to 3% or less, with tuition slated to increase only 2.5% for Arizona resident undergraduate and graduate immersion students. Most continuing students at NAU and the University

of Arizona will see no tuition increase this fall, as the universities’ respective pledge and guarantee programs lock in tuition rates for four years.

A helping hand is ASU’s ability to leverage its land holdings. This entrepreneurial effort utilizes the university’s investments in real estate to provide financial resources to serve student educational needs.

Our three public institutions and their leaders work tirelessly toward one goal: to make their universities better places for more and more students. Every business function that the university operates works toward this goal.

Ensuring affordable access to our universities is an ongoing effort that requires partnership from government, universities and families. Education is the door to opportunity and creating a college-going culture must be our shared priority so every high school student in Arizona can reap the many rewards of a college degree.