No Tuition Increase Proposed for the 2012-2013 Academic Year
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
No Tuition Increase Proposed for the 2012-2013 Academic Year
Dear Students:
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The cost of financing your college education is a challenge that I know weighs heavily on you and your families. For many of you, the investment you’re making in your education could well be the largest expenditure you’ll make for the foreseeable future.
While we have worked diligently during the past few years to reduce costs and to gain efficiencies at UT Arlington, we realize many of you are feeling serious financial pressure during these uncertain economic times. Therefore, we’re proposing significant changes for fall 2012 that we hope will help ease the financial burden for all of our students, both undergraduate and graduate.
After careful thought and consideration, we have proposed to the student-led Tuition Review Committee that there be no increase in tuition rates at UT Arlington for the 2012-2013 academic year. Our intent is to maintain current tuition rates through next year. And since the University has offered all-inclusive tuition for the past few years, all fees already are included in our tuition rate. There are no hidden surprises.
We’re going one step further, too, since tuition represents only one aspect of the cost of attending UT Arlington. We also plan to maintain current rates for housing (residence halls and apartments) and dining for the 2012-2013 academic year.
As state funding for UT Arlington has declined—and as state and federal support for financial aid programs shrinks—students and their families have been forced to shoulder more of the financial responsibility for attending college through increased tuition. We are committed to keeping UT Arlington as affordable as possible while continuing to build a first-rate university.
How is this possible? UT Arlington has been buffered by incredibly strong enrollment growth in recent years—up 33 percent since fall 2008—which has helped us weather ongoing state revenue shortfalls. Likewise, we have been aggressive in our efforts to reduce administrative costs, realign resources to support our top priorities, offer voluntary separation programs for staff and faculty, and outsource certain auxiliary services and functions.
Our pledge is that we will continue to invest resources in strategic priorities that will propel us toward becoming a major national research university. Containing tuition costs for the next year will not result in any reduction to programs and services that support our students or our growing academic enterprise. We will continue to pursue excellence in every way that matters.
We appreciate the input we have received from the Tuition Review Committee, Student Congress, and others as we have considered this decision to maintain tuition at current rates. The Tuition Review Committee will meet later this month, and we will forward a recommendation to the UT System Board of Regents in December.
While we are confident in our ability to maintain current tuition rates for the next academic year, it’s difficult to plan with certainty beyond that. The 2013 session of the Texas Legislature may be even more daunting for colleges and universities than the one we just concluded. Therefore, we will seek authority from the Board of Regents for the possibility of a limited tuition increase for 2013-2014.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at jds@uta.edu.
I wish you every success as you wrap up class projects and prepare for final exams.
Sincerely,
James D. Spaniolo
President