The University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system is proposing a freeze on undergraduate tuition for two more academic years, 2023–24 and 2024–25. But the freeze would be followed by a 2% increase in resident tuition rates at the three UH universities in 2025–26 and a 2% increase in 2026–27.
Non-resident undergraduate tuition rates would increase by the equivalent dollar amount in each of those two academic years.
Community College and graduate tuition rates are proposed to be frozen for all four academic years, with the exception of the UH Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, which would increase by 2% in each of the three years beginning in 2024–25.
University of Hawai’i at Hilo. Photo Courtesy
Five public meetings have been scheduled starting Nov. 15 to explain the proposal and provide an opportunity for students, parents, faculty, staff and the public to submit feedback via oral and written testimony. The feedback will be shared with the Board of Regents before it acts on the proposal next year by approving, deferring or modifying what is presented.
A Zoom webinar link will be sent via email prior to each meeting.
The last action taken by the Board of Regents relating to tuition was in 2016, when resident undergraduate rates were modestly increased by 1% to 2% in 2018–19 and 2019–20. Those increases were fully committed to renewal, improvement and modernization of UH facilities. At that time, some tuition rates were decreased and tuition has been frozen since 2020.
Resident undergraduate tuition is currently $5,652 a semester at UH Mānoa, $3,836 a semester at UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu and $1,572 a semester at the seven UH community colleges ($131 per credit and 12 credits is considered full-time).
Based on testimony received, the administration may revise the proposed schedule. After the public meetings are completed on Dec. 1, the administration will submit a tuition proposal to the Board of Regents for approval, along with a summary of all of the testimony submitted. The regents are expected to consider the proposal in early 2023 when the public will have another opportunity to provide testimony.
During an informational presentation on the tuition schedule proposal at the Oct. 26 public Board of Regent’s meeting, the administration stated it was important to keep tuition rates flat for the next two academic years because the state’s economy is still in recovery and increases would create hardship for students and their families.
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A modest increase starting in the fall 2025 semester was recommended when considering the rising costs of operating a 10-campus system with increasing energy costs, the high rate of inflation, consideration of tuition across the nation, and the expectation that the proposed small tuition increases would not significantly impact access to higher education.
The comprehensive presentation also included a history of tuition increases, the official process to raise tuition including board policy guidelines, historical data on the state appropriation and tuition rates, tuition rates compared to peers, projected revenues and expenditures and other financial and budget considerations.
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