Arkansas State University is proposing a 4% increase for tuition and mandatory fees for the 2023-24 academic year, while Henderson State University plans to keep tuition and mandatory fees at the same rate as last year.
The community colleges in the Arkansas State University System are proposing increases between 4.3% and 6.4%.
The ASU System board of trustees will be asked to approve these proposals during their meeting today at Arkansas State University-Beebe. The tuition and mandatory fee rates are calculated for full-time -- students who take 15 credit hours per semester (30 for a year) -- in-state, undergraduate students.
Under the proposal, Henderson State would keep annual tuition and mandatory fees at $9,450 for the 2023-2024 school year, while the cost for Arkansas State would increase from $9,310 to $9,680.
At the Jonesboro campus -- the system's flagship and largest university -- the price per semester credit hour for in-state undergraduates would increase from $287 to $299. For out-of-state undergraduates, that cost will increase $21, from $531 to $552.
The community college proposing the largest percentage increase for tuition and mandatory fees is Arkansas State University Three Rivers, while the smallest proposed increase is at Arkansas State University Mid-South.
At Arkansas State-Beebe, the annual cost for tuition and mandatory fees would rise to $4,020 from $3,780, a 6.3% increase. At Arkansas State Mid-South, that cost would rise 4.3%, from $4,180 to $4,360, but mandatory fees have been incorporated into tuition, meaning Arkansas State Mid-South students will not be charged mandatory fees in fiscal year 2024.
At Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, the annual cost for tuition and fees would rise 4.8%, from $3,780 to $3,960. For in-state students, tuition is increasing by $6 per semester credit hour, to $109.
At Arkansas State University-Newport, the annual cost for tuition and mandatory fees would rise from $3,690 to $3,900. The price per semester credit hour for in-state students would increase $7, to $107, while that cost would rise $6, to $167, for out-of-state students.
The Higher Education Price Index rose 5.2% for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
"Inflation continues to impact prices and increase the cost of supplies and services required for operations," according to the ASU System. To balance operational cost increases with affordability, Arkansas State-Newport limited its tuition-and-fees increase request to 5.7%.
Arkansas State Three Rivers is proposing an annual increase from $4,190 to $4,460, which includes a $2 per credit hour athletic fee -- baseball and softball programs begin at the school during the 2023-24 year -- according to the system. The price per semester credit hour for in-state students would increase by $5, to $109, while it will decrease by $71, to $134, for out-of-state students.
The trustees' meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will be held in the Dr. Eugene McKay Student Center on the Arkansas State-Beebe campus.