University of Hawaii proposes tuition freeze and cuts

University of Hawaii President David Lassner wants to freeze undergraduate tuition at all 10 campuses for three years and reduce graduate tuition at UH-Manoa to attract more students and keep college affordable.

The proposal, which would take effect in the fall of 2020, will be considered by the UH Board of Regents at its meeting on Thursday at Windward Community College.

The goal is to maintain affordability and make the university more competitive with its peers, since enrollment has dropped as tuition has gone up, according to a presentation posted online in preparation for the meeting. It noted that tuition rates have increased steadily over the last 10 years.

“Tuition at UH’s four-year institutions has risen above many of its peers, especially for nonresidents,” Donald Straney, vice president for academic planning and policy, wrote in a memo to the board.

“Decreases in tuition for UH Manoa graduate students, where rates have risen far above our peers, are proposed to improve our competitiveness and attractiveness,” he added.

In January, the regents turned down a similar proposal that sought to keep undergraduate tuition flat and avoid planned 1% and 2% increases this fall. It also would have cut graduate tuition.

In the new plan, the administration seeks to reduce graduate tuition at UH-Manoa by 2% for residents and 10% for nonresidents in 2020-21, then freeze those rates until 2023.

The number of out-of-state graduate students coming to UH-Manoa has dropped substantially, sparking fears that the university could be pricing itself out of that market. Graduate student enrollment declined by 11% for residents and 19% for nonresidents from fall 2013 to fall 2018, excluding students at the professional schools.

Bernadette Rose Garrett, a political science major who will be a senior at UH-Manoa this fall, said a tuition freeze would be welcome as long as it didn’t lead to any reduction in student services.

“The cost of tuition is always a barrier, especially for college students living in Hawaii,” she said. “From a student’s perspective, freezing tuition would be a great thing.”

At the same time, she said, it’s important to know, “if there was to be a cut (in tuition), where would the money come from.”

Under the current three-year tuition schedule, adopted in 2016, undergraduate tuition at UH-Manoa is projected to rise to $11,304 annually for Hawaii residents and $33,336 for nonresidents in the 2019-20 academic year. Graduate tuition would be $15,912 for residents and $37,392 for nonresidents.