Regents raise college tuition

Jennifer Knight

Monday, April 22, 2002 | 8:57 a.m.

The Board of Regents, asked to put a pricetag on a university education, decided it is about 15 percent more than what students are paying now.

In a 7-3 vote regents agreed on a two-step increase for university undergraduate tuition beginning in fall 2003.

Without the increase, "I think we are sending a message that higher education is not worth anything," Regent Doug Hill said Friday.

Annual in-state tuition for a full-time university student will jump from $1,896 to $2,040 in 2003-04 and again to $2,160 by 2004-05.

Graduate fees for residents will go up by 15.4 percent during the same period. Community college students received the smallest percentage increase, at about 7.7 percent over two years.

Regents Steve Sisolak, Linda Howard and Mark Alden disagreed with the increase.

"We are in the business of higher education," Alden said. "We are not in the business of higher extortion."

System officials argued that the change was needed to bring Nevada rates on par with other Western states. Currently, Nevada falls below what other states charge for tuition, university officials said.

Money from the increase will pay for improvements to campus buildings, student services and need-based student scholarships.

The yet-to-be-opened Nevada State College at Henderson got a tuition increase before charging its first student. The price for an education there will go from $1,488 per year for a full-time student to $1,584 in fall 2003 and $1,680 in fall 2004.