Regents approve tuition surcharge

The Arizona Board of Regents today approved a tuition surcharge of $350 for resident students and $450 for nonresident students at Northern Arizona University that will take effect in fall 2009.

The more than 5,800 NAU students currently participating in the guaranteed tuition plan, known as the Pledge program, will see no tuition increase next year. Their tuition is guaranteed for four years.

All three state universities requested tuition surcharges to cope with a $141.5 million cut to the university system budget this year. NAU’s share of that cut is $21.3 million.

Gov. Jan Brewer attended the regent's meeting to express her commitment to focus the universities’ share of federal stimulus dollars on mitigating the impact of tuition increases and to spread the funds over two years. She called upon the regents and university presidents to develop a sustainable business model for higher education.

“By this fall, I want to see a new business model that results in a tuition structure that is accountable, predictable and affordable to taxpayers, parents and students,” Brewer said.

The surcharges are in addition to the 2009-10 tuition and fees that were approved by the regents in December 2008. The tuition surcharge will be prorated for students taking fewer than seven credit hours.

In approving the tuition surcharges, the regents also voted to set aside 20 percent of the surcharge for need-based financial aid for students.

The regents also approved a $72 maximum increase in NAU’s information technology fee for all students. The total IT fee would be $144 for the 2009-10 school year.

The increase in tuition and fees for new resident students in fall 2009 is $422, for a total of $6,527.

“We will use the tuition surcharge plus stimulus money to continue to offer quality programs and move the university forward,” said NAU President John Haeger.