Weber State freezes tuition and fees for associate degrees

OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University is pausing tuition and fee increases for students getting their associate degrees.

Campus spokesperson Rachel Badali told Utah’s Noon News it’s expected to save students about $135 a year.

“We believe getting an associate’s degree should be just as affordable at four-year colleges as it is at community colleges,” Badali said. “This is the first step in doing that.”

This comes at a time when Utah’s legislature has been asking higher education institutions to cut costs. This does not necessarily mean increased costs for students, but tuition hikes are still happening.

The Utah Board of Higher Education said resident undergraduates taking 15 credits per semester for two semesters at the University of Utah and Utah State will see tuition going up more than $200 next year. WSU is seeing the smallest jump of $68. 

“Cost-cutting measures are happening across universities throughout Utah, but one thing we’re trying to do is make sure students don’t feel the effects of those cuts,” Badali stated.

WSU President Brad Mortensen said several studies show that when associate degree costs were cut by $1,000, universities saw significant enrollment growth. He said the current tuition freeze is a modest start to what they hope will be even greater savings in the future.

“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,” Mortensen said. 

The tuition freeze applies to students who have fewer than 60 credit hours, which is the number required to earn an associate degree. About half of WSU’s students fall into that category.

Related: Tuition set to rise at Utah’s public universities and colleges