Arkansas residents will pay more money to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2015-2016.
The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees approved an increase in tuition rates at a meeting Thursday in Batesville. The following figures reflect an Arkansas resident who takes 30 semester hours total over a period of two semesters.
UAPB students will see their tuiton increase from $5,956 to $6,271; the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville from $8,208 to $8,521; the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from $8,045 to $8,165; the University of Arkansas at Monticello from $6,082 to $6,447; the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith from $5,962 to $6,322.
The increase will go toward addressing several things at UAPB, University of Arkansas System spokesman Nate Hinkel said earlier in the week.
“The increase will go toward a 1 percent cost-of-living raise for faculty and staff and an additional 2.5 percent and 3 percent merit increase for non-classified staff and faculty, respectively,” Hinkel said. “A pool of $250,000 is also being established to address faculty equity issues. UAPB also is strategically budgeting $120,000 each for student retention/success initiatives and critical maintenance and building renewal.”
Donald Bobbitt, president of the UA System, said the universities provide a quality education.
“Our institutions made a deliberate effort to keep tuition increases as modest as possible and to focus specifically on the most pressing needs for continuing to provide a high-quality educational experience for our students across the System,” Bobbitt said in a written statement. “We must continue to focus efforts on helping our students stay in school and be successful through advising, tutoring and other services, while at the same time ensuring we have the facilities and resources to be able to recruit and attract students to our campuses.”