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|Tuition Questions and Answers
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See also: Tuition Information and Resources Your tuition dollars reinvested: Enhancing your educational experience Enriching academic quality, upgrading instructional and co-curricular space, and providing increased financial aid are among the many ways tuition revenues are enhancing the educational experience at UT Arlington. Here are some commonly asked questions about tuition and how UT Arlington partners with students and their families to help them achieve their educational goals. Your Tuition at Work: How are the new tuition dollars being sent?
The cost of tuition seems to be rising nationally. Why?
Tuition has risen, but has the quality of the education experience risen as well?
And just look around the campus. UT Arlington's newer student housing surpasses what is offered at many of the most prestigious universities in the country. Amenities include wireless Internet access and dedicated Ethernet connections in each room, cable television, study lounges, computer labs, laundry rooms, gated parking, recreation areas, swimming pool, and lounges with big-screen TVs. The residence halls have a professional live-in director, intramural teams, leadership opportunities and planned social and educational activities. A new 185,000 square-foot student activities building will soon be a reality with basketball and racquetball courts, running tracks, full service fitness center, internet café, and more. Other new buildings include:
Who decides the level of tuition? The level of tuition, including any proposed increase, is limited to the least amount necessary to provide high quality educational programs. A tuition advisory committee made up primarily of students and chaired by a student reviews any proposed tuition adjustments. The committee's recommendations go through a series of thorough University reviews, including a final approval by the UT System Board of Regents to establish tuition and fees. How does UT Arlington help students with financial need?
How does UT Arlington's new tuition plan help manage the cost of higher education? One of the biggest increases nationwide in the cost of going to college results from students not graduating in a timely manner. Every additional year means more expense to the family and, more importantly, the lost opportunity of getting a paying job in the marketplace. UT Arlington endorses the view that students can control their costs by taking more credits and graduating sooner. We have put muscle into that philosophy by offering flat rate tuition for any student taking more than 14 hours. If a student takes 15 hours or more, tuition is the same as for 14 hours. Also, UT Arlington offers an On-Time Graduate Tuition Reduction. Students who complete at least 14 hours in both the spring and fall semester with at least a 2.5 GPA will be awarded a $500-per-year tuition reduction. The reduction is credited to the student's account at the beginning of the subsequent full semester or refunded if the student has graduated. Additionally, students are rewarded for paying tuition on time. Any student who registers for the fall or spring semester on or before the published semester payment due date and pays the entire registration amount balance by 5 p.m. on the due date will receive a credit of $3 per credit hour, which will be deducted at registration for the next long semester. What is the "B-on-Time" program for college students? The Texas "B-on-Time" Student Loan Program is a zero-interest educational loan with provisions for forgiveness of the debt if the student graduates on time with at least a B average. Does this approach to tuition rates promote more timely graduation? Yes, through flat tuition and other cost incentives, as well as increased work study opportunities and increased financial aid, more timely graduation will be promoted. What is the value of a UT Arlington education?
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Since
the mid-1980s, the proportion of state budgets going to the support of higher
education has been declining. Throughout the entire University of Texas System,
tax dollars account for only 18.4% of the total budget, as contrasted to 86
to 90 percent in prior years. Higher education is also more dependent on labor
costs than is the economy in general, so increases in budget items like medical
insurance have a heavy impact. As you know when you drive to the nearest gas
station or open a utility bill, energy prices have skyrocketed, and higher
education is not immune to this impact. In response, UT Arlington is aggressively
cutting costs wherever possible, like collaborating with other UT System institutions
to negotiate a joint contract for electricity that saved the University $4.75
million in fiscal year 2005. These steps have made it possible to keep tuition
at UT Arlington competitive with, if not below, comparable universities in
Texas and elsewhere. 
Dramatically!
Check out the credentials of some of UT Arlington's more than 100 new faculty
hired throughout all disciplines on campus in the last three years: educators
and researchers like the University's Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry Daniel
Armstrong. Formerly the Caldwell Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University,
Dr. Armstrong has more than 380 publications and 10 patents. He has more than
$3 million in current research grants, won numerous international awards and
is on the editorial board of 11 scientific journals. To attract faculty like
Dr. Armstrong, the University has made significant investments in classroom
technology, equipment and laboratories to support cutting-edge research and
instruction. 
A
university education is the best investment an individual can make in his or
her future. Adults age 18 and older with a bachelor's
degree earned an average of $51,554 in 2004, while those with a high school
diploma earned $28,645 (see 
