ARKANSAS, USA — The University of Arkansas System approved changes to tuition and fees for 14 of its colleges and universities on Thursday, May 25.
This fall, incoming students at some schools within the system will have a higher tuition bill.
The system's board of trustees approved rate increases, one of the largest is at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith (UAFS). UAFS students will see a 7.63% percent increase in their tuition, while the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville will remain the same.
What this means for UAFS students:
- A tuition increase for new in-state undergraduates:
Effective this fall, the cost per credit hour for "new students and students who are no longer enrolled in the UAFS promise program" is now $188.
- Those enrolled in UAFS Promise Program will have no tuition increase:
Students who enrolled in the UAFS Promise Program in the years 2019, 2020, or 2021 will be charged their "fixed tuition rates" which is $171 per credit hour. The students who enrolled in 2022, will also still pay their "fixed tuition rate" which is $175 per credit hour. In order to keep these rates, however, those students must "remain in compliance with the academic progress standards outlined in their Promise agreement."
- Mandatory and non-mandatory fees will have "slight changes":
Effective this fall, there will be changes to mandatory and non-mandatory fees at UAFS. To get details on these changes, click here.
- Increase in certain housing and meal plan rates:
Rates for 4-bedroom units will have a small increase "to align with the cost schedules of the other units,", while single, double, and triple-bedroom unit rates will stay the same this fall. As far as meal plans, a "modest increase as a response to inflationary pressures" will take place. To learn more about these rates, click here.
UAFS Chancellor Terisa Riley said these increases were "carefully evaluated to coincide with the federal government’s 2023 increase to Pell Grant awards," to help make sure that students who receive Pell Grants wouldn't be met with a big out-of-pocket cost. Riley assures that despite these changes, UAFS is still "the most affordable campus in the University of Arkansas System."
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