SALT LAKE CITY — College costs in Utah rose more quickly than the rest of the country during the past five years, though the sticker prices for public schools here remain among the cheapest in the country, according to a new report from the College Board.
Nationally, college costs look to be leveling off. Tuition and fees in the U.S. grew by 2.9 percent over last year, the smallest one-year increase in more than 30 years, according to the board.
“It does seem that the spiral is moderating,” said Sandy Baum, co-author of the report. “Not turning around, not ending, but moderating.”
While Utah’s cost increase this year was in line with the nation’s at 3 percent, during the past five years, tuition in the Beehive State has shot up by 30 percent, faster than the national average of 27 percent.
Those rising costs affect students such as 19-year-old Patricio Panuncio at the University of Utah. It isn’t easy coming up with more than $7,400 a year, plus hundreds of dollars for books.
“At our research universities, the University of Utah and Utah State University, it’s becoming harder and harder to attend when you’re from a non-privileged background,” he said. “We pride ourselves on being a meritocracy, but if [public institutions] keep increasing tuition, we make it that much harder to obtain success and reach our goals.”
Pam Silberman, spokeswoman for the Utah System for Higher Education, said much of the increase at the state’s public schools was due to cuts in state funding during the recession coupled with record enrollment jumps.
