Public Notice of Proposed Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increase

Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-7-1603, Tennessee Tech’s Board of Trustees is providing notice of the proposed tuition and mandatory fee increase as an action item on the Board’s Thursday, June 24, 2021, agenda.

1. Proposed tuition and mandatory fee increase for academic year 2021-2022:
   1. Undergraduate maintenance (admitted prior to Fall 2020) proposed fee increase of 1.94%
      1. Base 12 hours proposed to increase from $319 per hour to $325 per hour.
      2. Over base hours proposed to increase from $64 per hour to $66 per hour.
   2. Undergraduate maintenance (admitted Fall 2020 forward) proposed fee increase of 1.99%
      1. Part-time rate proposed to increase from $319 per hour to $325 per hour.
      2. Flat rate proposed to increase from $4,530 for students taking 12 or more hours per semester to $4,620 for students taking 12 or more hours per semester.
   3. Program Service Fee proposed fee increase of 0.31%
      1. Program Service Fee proposed to increase from $639 per semester to $641 per semester.
         1. Student Mental Health and Wellness component proposed to increase from $3 a semester to $5 a semester.
2. Revenue derived from the tuition and mandatory fee increase will be used:
   1. Undergraduate maintenance
      1. Elimination of Specialized Academic Course Fees (SACF) in specific courses in Arts and Sciences, Ag & Human Ecology, Education, and Fine Arts. Revenues from tuition increase will be used to support budgets for programs effected by the fee elimination.
   2. Program Service Fee – Mental Health and Wellness Fee Component
      1. Revenue will be used to provide students with enhanced mental health and wellness support.
3. Tennessee Tech University makes every effort to mitigate the effect of the increase on students:
   1. Undergraduate maintenance
      1. The removal of SACF fees in specific courses in Arts and Sciences, Ag & Human Ecology, Education, and Fine Arts will have a zero-net cost of attendance increase for the overall undergraduate student population.
      2. Tennessee Tech’s undergraduate maintenance is comparable to other public universities in Tennessee.
      3. The proposed 2% Undergraduate Maintenance increase is within THEC’s established tuition range for academic year 2021-2022.
   2. Program Service Fee – Mental Health and Wellness Fee Component
      1. The fee increase was proposed by the Student Government Association (SGA). Members of the SGA are elected by the student body to represent students' interests on campus.

Factors the Board will Consider When Setting Tuition and Mandatory Fee Levels

• Mandatory Factors:
  1. Level of State support
  2. Total cost of attendance
  3. Efforts to mitigate the financial effect on students
• Additional Factors:
  1. THEC mandatory tuition and fee ranges
  2. Comparison to peer institutions, competitor institutions, other LGIs
  3. Higher Education Price Index