Extra bucks: Weber State freezes tuition, fee increases for students with fewer than 60 credit hours

Yahoo

02-04-2025

Some good news for Fawn Worthen and thousands of other budget-minded Weber State students arrived just days after tuition hikes were reported at all eight of Utah's degree granting colleges and universities.
The Ogden university has announced that it's pausing tuition and fee increases in the 2025-26 academic year for students with less than 60 credit hours.
Almost half of Weber State University's full-time residents, including Worthen, are on the shy side of earning 60 credit hours — the number required to earn an associate degree. First- and second-year students who attend WSU in the fall and spring semester are expected to save $135 per year, according to the university.
'That's a modest start to what we hope will be even greater savings in the future,' said WSU President Brad Mortensen. 'We know that every dollar matters for our students, so we're hoping this pilot program can serve as a model for the state to follow and eventually get students saving closer to $1,000 per year.'
A Layton native, Worthen is pursuing an associate degree in communications at WSU. Learning that she would have few extra bucks in her pocket to help pay for food, transportation and other student expenses was welcome news
'It's humbling,' Worthen told the Deseret News. 'It feels like we're being seen.'
Last Friday, the Utah Board of Higher Education approved a 'sub-inflationary 2.23% systemwide weighted average increase' among the state's public colleges and universities.
A resident undergraduate student at WSU taking 15 credits per semester during the 2025-2026 academic year should expect to pay $68 more than the previous academic year — a 1.03% increase.
But tuition and fees increases will be frozen for WSU's lower division students with fewer than 60 credit hours, according to Monday's announcement.
Mortensen points to studies revealing 'significant enrollment growth' when the cost of earning an associate degree was cut by $1,000.
In a study published by University of Texas at Austin, researchers found that reducing community college tuition by $1,000 'increased enrollment in community college by 5.1 percentage points, roughly a 20% increase.'
Weber State's partial tuition freeze comes as a result of its dual mission, which sees the university serving two distinct student populations: those pursuing two-year degrees and those pursuing four-year degrees, according to the university.
Mortensen said tuition rates for the two populations should also be distinct in order to help remove cost barriers for those in their first two years of college.
'Getting an associate degree should be just as affordable at four-year colleges as it is at community colleges,' Mortensen said.
WSU offers a variety of associate degrees — including an Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) — in a variety of disciplines such as entrepreneurship, communication and health sciences.
For many Weber State students, an associate degree doubles as a pathway to a bachelor's degree. Others use their associate degree to launch their careers in specific fields.
Utah Valley University and Utah Tech University are also dual-mission institutions.
Weber State's decision to freeze tuition and fees for associate degrees comes at a financially turbulent moment in local academia.
Along with Utah's seven other public degree-granting higher education institutions, WSU is developing a 'strategic reinvestment' plan required by the Legislature to reallocate millions to programs determined to be of highest value.
Approximately $6.7 million of WSU's state-provided budget will have to be reallocated to implement its future reinvestment plan.
WSU has assembled a committee of stakeholder groups including faculty representation from each of the university's colleges to navigate implementation of House Bill 265, according to a university information page dedicated to the reinvestment plan.
That committee will examine criteria and identify potential cost saving in reallocating academic and student success programs to comply with the recently passed HB 265.
Meanwhile, several key administrative positions at WSU have already been eliminated.
WSU also announced a 'voluntary separation incentive program' for eligible employees in academic affairs.
'Ultimately, difficult decisions will need to be made that impact people and programs, and our goal is to avoid as many involuntary layoffs as possible,' according to a university site explaining the separation program.
'Offering a voluntary separation package early provides an option for those interested and helps inform our HB 265 planning process,' the site noted.
This week's announcement of a tuition and fees freeze for students with less than 60 credit hours will impact legions of WSU students.
For the current academic year, Weber State enjoyed the largest enrollment spike — 7.09% — of any Utah public college or university.
And for the fourth consecutive year, Weber State welcomed its largest-ever student body in September. More than 32,400 students matriculated at the Ogden public university for the 2024 fall semester.
Utah's flagship university, the University of Utah, experienced a 4.7% enrollment increase in 2024. Utah State University and Southern Utah University enrollment increased 2.98% and 2.73% percent, respectively.
The Beehive State's largest community college, Salt Lake Community College, reported a 2.51% enrollment growth from last year.