The UH System Board of Regents approved on Wednesday a four-year fixed tuition rate for fiscal years 2015 and 2016.
A response to House Bill 29 from the 83rd Texas Legislature, the optional rates will be available to first-time-in-college students and undergraduate transfer students entering UH System universities in Fall 2015 and Fall 2016. The fixed-tuition program at UH’s main campus is part of the newly implemented UH in 4 initiative, which requires students to complete 30 semester credit hours during an academic year, agreeing with the University to graduate in no more than four years.
“It is a four-year guarantee in which students take at least 30 credit hours per year, meet with an academic adviser each semester, follow the course sequence in the academic map, monitor their degree progress, remain in good academic standing and notify the University of course unavailability,” said Teri Longacre, vice provost and dean for undergraduate student success, in a statement.
“The University of Houston will provide four-year academic maps, ensure course availability, provide academic advising resources, degree planning and monitoring tools, annual degree progress evaluations, and no tuition and fees beyond four years — if UH is responsible for a delay.”
If students choose to take part in the fixed-tuition program during fiscal year 2015, each semester for 12 consecutive semesters, they will pay: $4,750 at UH, $3,472 at UH-Clear Lake, $3,275 at UH-Downtown and $3,283 at UH-Victoria.
According to a UH press release, if students choose not to participate in this program, they are expected to pay an average of $4,782 per semester at UH during fiscal year 2015, $3,326 at UH-Clear Lake, $3,155 at UH-Downtown and $3,164 at UH-Victoria.
Tuition revenues will be dedicated to student success programs, according to the release. UH will put revenue toward increasing faculty and financial aid and enhancing libraries, instructional technology and graduate student support.
