ASU President Michael Crow Proposes Tuition Increase

Arizona State University president Michael Crow has proposed a $200 increase in undergraduate tuition for resident students and a $1,000 hike for non-resident students. 

Under Crow's tuition plan, which must be approved by the state Board of Regents, students also would be required to pay a $270 surcharge to compensate for state cuts to the higher education budget. 

Crow introduced the surcharge last year after the Legislature carved $53 million out of ASU's budget. At the time, he justified it as a "temporary one-year" stopgap. In a recent statement, however, he suggested the fee remain in place until the Legislature increases funding by at least $26.5 million, or 50 percent of the 2015 cut. 

He advised dropping the fee from $320, which is what ASU students paid last year, to $270, he said, because "it appears likely that state leaders will restore a portion of last year's funding cut." 

"It is extremely difficult to remain competitive in the higher education market and keep costs low for Arizona students given the massive reductions in state support in recent years," he said. 

Resident ASU students paid about $10,500 in tuition and fees during the 2015-2016 school year, which is more than a $5,500 increase since the recession hit in 2007.

During that same time period, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Legislature cut per-student funding for Arizona public colleges and universities by 47 percent — more than any other state. 

Crow will present the tuition proposal to the Arizona Board of Regents during its April meeting.