53B-7-101.5.  Proposed tuition increases — Notice — Hearings.

(1)  If an institution within the State System of Higher Education listed in Section 53B-1-102 considers increasing tuition rates for undergraduate students in the process of preparing or implementing its budget, it shall hold a meeting to receive public input and response on the issue.

Terms Used In Utah Code 53B-7-101.5

  • Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of a judicial proceeding. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(2)  The institution shall advertise the hearing required under Subsection (1) using the following procedure:

(a)  the institution shall advertise the institution’s intent to consider an increase in student tuition rates:

(i)  in the institution’s student newspaper twice during a period of 10 days before the meeting; and

(ii)  for each county where the institution has a campus, as a class A notice under Section 63G-30-102, for at least 10 days before the meeting; and

(b)  the advertisement shall state that the institution will meet on a certain day, time, and place fixed in the advertisement, which shall not be less than seven days after the day the advertisement is published, for the purpose of hearing comments regarding the proposed increase and to explain the reasons for the proposed increase.

(3)  The form and content of the notice shall be substantially as follows:
     “NOTICE OF PROPOSED TUITION INCREASE
     The (name of the higher education institution) is proposing to increase student tuition rates. This would be an increase of ______ %, which is an increase of $______ per semester for a full-time resident undergraduate student. All concerned students and citizens are invited to a public hearing on the proposed increase to be held at (meeting place) on (date) at (time).”

(4) 

(a)  The institution shall provide the following information to those in attendance at the meeting required under Subsection (1):

(i)  the current year’s student enrollment for:

(A)  the State System of Higher Education, if a systemwide increase is being considered; or

(B)  the institution, if an increase is being considered for just a single institution;

(ii)  total tuition revenues for the current school year;

(iii)  projected student enrollment growth for the next school year and projected tuition revenue increases from that anticipated growth; and

(iv)  a detailed accounting of how and where the increased tuition revenues would be spent.

(b)  The enrollment and revenue data required under Subsection (4)(a) shall be broken down into majors or departments if the proposed tuition increases are department or major specific.

(5)  If the institution does not make a final decision on the proposed tuition increase at the meeting, it shall announce the date, time, and place of the meeting where that determination shall be made.

Amended by Chapter 435, 2023 General Session