The University of Arizona is proposing a more streamlined and predictable tuition and fee structure to assist students in planning for college. If approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, the new structure will be effective for new undergraduate and graduate students in the 2024-25 academic year.

"We want to provide greater clarity and predictability for students and their families while retaining flexibility to meet our ongoing financial obligations," said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. "Our value of integrity is reflected in the guaranteed tuition model that, starting in fall 2014, gave students certainty and has been cited consistently as a major factor in the decision to attend the University of Arizona."

This fall, the University of Arizona joined the list of higher education institutions participating in the national College Cost Transparency Initiative.

Several students and members of the faculty and staff weigh in on the annual tuition proposal process, including student leaders from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and the Graduate and Professional Student Council, who work with the provost, chief financial officer, chief budget officer, associate vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

For the 2024-25 academic year, UArizona is seeking approval from the Arizona Board of Regents to make the following changes in the tuition and fee structure:

1. Streamline undergraduate student tuition and fees into three components:
   • Base Tuition
   • Student Engagement Fees – combining all mandatory fees
   • College Fee Model – eliminating course/program fees, except for the W.A. Franke Honors College.
2. Streamline graduate student tuition into two components:
   • Base Tuition – combining both tuition and previously approved mandatory fees
   • Program Fee – where applicable, based on the student's primary program
3. Align growing costs of instruction:
   • Undergraduate
     • W.A. Franke Honors College: Continue providing the student-centered efforts for honors students, such as extracurricular activities, expansion of honors courses, faculty fellowship, support for research projects, mentoring, internships and advisory support; create additional revenue for better student support through stipends, scholarships, and work-study opportunities via an incremental increase in the program fee to $600/term. Note: The program fee for students enrolled in Online and Distance Education and the Sierra Vista campus will remain at $95/term.
   • Graduate
     • College of Nursing: Create operational efficiencies and make it easier for students to plan for investment in their nursing degree by converting the Master of Science in Nursing – Entry to the Profession from a fixed rate ($48,000/program for residents and $68,000 for non-residents) to a financially equivalent program fee ($5,000/term for both residents and non-residents).
     • Eller College of Management: Ensure that the new Master of Science in Business Analytics offered in Chandler is competitive in the national landscape, allowing it to invest in the high-quality instructors, industry interfaces and career coaching that students expect, increasing the per-credit cap to $1,350/residents and $1,600/non-residents.
     • Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health: Create a new $750/term fee for College of Medicine – Tucson students enrolled in the dual MD-MPH program, mirroring the fees charged to MD-MPH students in the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

UArizona is also taking steps that do not require board approval but improve the student experience:

• Making the cost of a single credit hour more reasonable for part-time students by increasing the price ceiling from 7 to 12 credit hours, thus lowering the cost per credit hour.
• Reducing financial burden and creating consistency for graduate students seeking a certificate from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health by reducing the program fee from $250/credit to $75/credit.

The three state universities will share undergraduate tuition, housing and meal plan rates in November. The University of Arizona will also share medicine and veterinary medicine tuition rates at that time.

The University of Arizona remains dedicated to making college accessible, Robbins said.

"Our commitment to the value of inclusion is why over 90 percent of our incoming undergraduate students receive financial aid," he said.