The side effects of a no-tax highway construction programs and restrictive state budgeting continue to roll in. Add the University of Arkansas to the list of colleges in Arkansas with plans to raise tuition and fees.
The cost is proposed to rise, for example, 3.5 percent at the UA flagship campus in Fayetteville, or about $150 a semester for a 15-hour load. Colleges have endured flat state support this year and next year. Flat support means a loss against rising costs. According to a state matrix for college funding, state support is falling annually, to less than 50 percent of the recommended level. All told, the state covers roughly 15 percent of UA costs. When state support doesn’t increase and costs do, the only place to turn is tuition.
Rates are going up even more at UCA, by 4.25 percent for tuition and fees and 4.5 percent for room and board. The assessment for athletics is also going up.