The University of Texas at El Paso
Your Tuition at Work
Fall 2007
TUITION AND FEE ADVISORY
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Students
Faculty and Staff
Miguel Cervantes
Larry Ellzey
Arlin Fernandez
Professor, Chemistry
Claudia Gonzalez
John Wiebe
Topher Hartfield
Davi Kallman
Associate Professor, Psychology
Richard Jarvis
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Christopher Lechuga
Richard Padilla
Leticia Lopez
Vice President for Student Affairs
Josefina Maldonado
Cynthia Villa
Bharat Kuram Reddy
Vice President for Business Affairs
Jose Rodriguez
Juan Vizcaino
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UTEP’S TUITION PLAN
What do we want to accomplish?
• Continue building quality while preserving
affordability
• Promote student retention and graduation
• Provide predictability of costs over a
two-year period
• Incorporate students’ aspirations and
concerns
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WHAT MAKES UTEP A GREAT
PLACE TO GET MY DEGREE?
What UTEP Graduates Have to Say
• “UTEP gave me many opportunities to conduct research
and attend national conferences which opened many
doors after graduating.”
• “…My UTEP degree provided a good balance between
theory and hands-on practical application.”
• “My education at UTEP, learning how to solve difficult
problems, has made me competitive with people from
any school across the country.”
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What UTEP Graduates Have to Say, cont.
• “There is a strong emphasis on internships, co-ops and
other exposure to the professional world that really
prepared me to succeed in the working world and taught
me ways to apply what I learned in the classroom.”
• “Working with a diverse group of students also made it
easy to work with a diverse group of co-workers when
I ventured out into the real world.”
• “UTEP gave me the access to networks of individuals in
education, industry and government…”
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HOW ARE TUITION AND
FEES USED?
Where do my tuition and fees go?
• Helping UTEP recruit and retain the best faculty
and staff
• Purchasing specialized equipment for labs and
studios
• Increasing students’ access to computers and library
resources
• Career and academic advising and counseling
• Supporting leadership development and cultural,
social and recreational events
• Operations and maintenance of facilities
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HOW ARE TUITION AND
FEES USED?
Impact of the most recent tuition increases:
• 8 new academic advisors hired
• 250 new computers installed in the Library’s
Collaborative Learning Center
• 525,000 student log-ins on the CLC’s computers in
the first year
• 8 buildings added to wireless network (including
Miner Village, College of Health Sciences, Union
Breezeway, Biology and Bioscience Research)
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HOW ARE TUITION AND
FEES USED?
Impact of the most recent tuition increases:
• Swimming and Fitness Center open 10 additional
hours per week
• Library open 12.5 additional hours per week
• 68 additional lower-division sections offered
• 111 additional upper-division sections offered
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WHAT IS UTEP DOING TO
STAY AFFORDABLE?
Tuition and Fees Around Texas
(average cost for 15 semester credit hours)
UT Dallas
UT Austin
U of Houston
UT Arlington
UT San Antonio
Texas Tech
North Texas
Texas State
UTEP
Fall 2006
$3,845
$4,012
$3,507
$3,250
$3,362
$3,396
$3,258
$2,927
$2,700
Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Fall 2007
$4,196
$4,059
$3,967
$3,647
$3,619
$3,561
$3,397
$3,205
$2,863
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WHAT IS UTEP DOING TO STAY
AFFORDABLE?
Cost Savings Measures
Centralized computer replacement programs.....$120,000
Climate control management for
campus buildings .............................................$105,000
University recycling programs...............................$40,800
Water conservation efforts ....................................$21,340
Police fleet management and bike patrol................$8,659
Other cost savings measures .............................$233,566
Total cost savings.............................................$529,365
(savings for fiscal year 2006-07)
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WHY DO WE NEED TUITION
INCREASES?
Millions of Dollars
Dwindling State Funding
43.1%
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
261.10
273.80
239.70
196.30
209.10
217.80 217.10
181.90
125.60
131.70 133.30
145.60
156.00
161.70
54.10 52.90 52.40 53.40 58.60 59.70
78.90 79.90
69.40 69.20 73.50 71.90 70.50 70.30
29.2%
94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Fiscal Year
Legislative Appropriations
Total Operating Expenses
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WHY DO WE NEED TUITION
INCREASES?
Growing Enrollment
UTEP marked its sixth year of record enrollment this fall with 20,154 students
22,000
21,000
20,154
19,842
20,000
18,918 19,264
18,542
19,000
18,000
17,232
17,000
16,220
16,000 15,176
15,224
14,695
14,677
15,000
14,000
13,000
12,000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Fall Semester
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WHY DO WE NEED TUITION
INCREASES?
Competitive Faculty Salaries
To provide UTEP students with outstanding faculty
mentors
• Faculty Recruitment: As a doctoral/research
university, UTEP competes with major universities
across the U.S. for faculty talent
• Faculty Retention: Major universities often try to
recruit UTEP’s most successful faculty members
• Faculty Compensation: UTEP’s average faculty
salaries are 12% below those at peer institutions
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THE TUITION PROPOSAL
The proposed tuition and fees increase
will be used to:
• Add 14 new faculty positions per year to support
enrollment growth and new programs
• Enhance student advising with focus on degree
completion
• Increase graduate assistant funding
• Continue recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty
• Increase support for Library materials to support
program expansion
• Expand programs and services for students
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THE TUITION PROPOSAL
Undergraduate In-State Cost
12 Semester Credit Hours
Fall 2007
Fall 2008 (Proposed)
Fall 2009 (Proposed)
$2,291
$2,452
$2,612
15 Semester Credit Hours
Fall 2007
Fall 2008 (Proposed)
Fall 2009 (Proposed)
(tuition and mandatory fees)
$2,806
$3,007
$3,207
Increase
$161
$160
7.0%
6.5%
Increase
$201
$200
7.0%
6.5%
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THE TUITION PROPOSAL
% Change
Tuition and Fee Increase Trends
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Fall
00
Fall
01
Fall
02
Fall Spring Fall
03
04
04
Fall
05
Fall
06
Fall
07
Fall
08
Fall
09
10-year average increase (2000-2010) 8.82%
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PAYING FOR COLLEGE
How UTEP students pay their tuition and fees
• 60% of UTEP students use some form of
financial aid
• UTEP students received $112 million in
financial aid last year
– $42 million in grants
– $8 million in scholarships
– $2 million in on-campus employment
– $4 million in departmental awards
– $56 million in loans
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PAYING FOR COLLEGE
Financial Aid
• All U.S. citizens or permanent residents qualify for some form
of financial aid when they complete the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• 93% of financial aid recipients will have all tuition and fees
covered with a combination of grants, scholarships, work
study and student loans
• The Federal Pell Grant is scheduled to increase by $490 in
2008 – 2009 for a maximum of $4,800 per year.
• Parental Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) are
available for parents of dependent students at an 8.5% interest
rate.
• UTEP’s EasyPay Plan allows students to pay their tuition bill
in five equal monthly payments each semester
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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Complete series of four Student Forums
across the UTEP campus
• Compile comments from all Student Forums
• Review by Fee Advisory Committee of feedback from
students, faculty and staff
• Draft final proposal for submission to
UTEP President Diana Natalicio
• UTEP will submit a final proposal to the
UT System by December 1, 2007
• The UT System Board of Regents will consider the
proposals from all institutions and will announce their
decision in spring 2008
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