Arizona’s governing body for the state’s public university system this month approved tuition and fee increases ranging from 2.5% to 5%.
At a public hearing in March, undergraduate, graduate, international students and faculty members overwhelmingly spoke against the proposal, citing the ongoing pandemic, rising inflation and housing crisis.
The Arizona Board of Regents nonetheless charged forward with the rate increase.
The Arizona Constitution holds that college should be “as nearly free as possible.” Nevertheless, with historic tuition raises since 2008, the board has lost touch with its principal mission of promoting access to education.
