In a recent town hall forum hosted on Monday, Oct. 31, UConn administrators announced changes to the cost of tuition, as well as housing and dining fees, that will take effect for the 2024-25 academic year.
A $678 increase in tuition will be implemented next year, as was projected in UConn’s proposed five–year tuition plan. The 2024-25 academic year is the last year included in the proposed plan, after which the program will elapse and tuition prices will be reassessed.
Along with the increase in tuition, housing and dining fees are also expected to go up after this year. Dining costs for Storrs students will increase by 2.75% across all meal plans, and the costs of housing will be increased depending on rates of demand. Charges for lower demand housing options will be increased by 2.75%, and those for higher demand housing will go up by 5%.
UConn administration has decided to raise living costs in order to compete with nationwide inflation, whilst maintaining student expectations for the on-campus standard of living. As the cost of commodities such as food and utilities continue to rise, UConn has adopted these new policies in the hope that they will offset most projected cost increases.
The university maintains that, in their decision to raise fees for the upcoming year, student affordability was still a major consideration. According to the presentation given at the recent town hall, UConn would like to keep university housing prices competitive with off-campus options, and will do its best to ensure that fees remain “modest” and “in line with financial aid funding.”
University officials have assured that the new revenues generated by these fee increases will remain in dining and housing. UConn’s Executive Vice President for Finance, Jeffrey Geoghegan, stated at the recent town hall forum that these revenues will be reinvested towards “capital improvement” and maintenance projects.
This upheaval in overall cost marks the end of an era for UConn’s previous tuition plan. In the near future, the university will have to announce a new plan of action. Until then, students can expect to see a projected increase in their Fall 2024 Fee Bill, as the recent rise in fees takes effect.