CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas board of trustees approved an increase of nearly 4% for 2025-26 tuition and mandatory fees Thursday.
The 3.96% increase applies to both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates typically take 15 credits per semester — graduate students typically a dozen — so the annual cost for the former will rise from $10,523 in 2024-25 to $10,940, while the latter will increase from $9,843 to $10,233, an increase of $208.50 per semester for undergraduates and $195.12 for graduate students.
In 2024-25, out-of-state undergraduates paid roughly $18,023 annually in tuition and mandatory fees, while out-of-state graduate students paid $17,228, according to UCA. That will increase for 2025-26 to $9,373.15 per semester for undergraduates and $8,964.82 for graduate students.
The escalating costs of attendance for students “really concerns me,” said Kelley Erstine, the board of trustees secretary. “I think we’re doing the right things (to control costs), finding efficiencies, (and) our ROI is proven, but (we need to) also try to find more efficiencies.”
It’s “not good” to keep raising tuition and fees, he added. “I don’t like to vote for increases, but I also want to support” the university and “everything that’s going on” at UCA.
“It’s just the reality of where we are, but I know we do the best we can,” added Michael Stanton, chairman of the board.
UCA staff members understand tuition decisions are “delicate,” but revenue generated helps maintain quality services and retain employees, said Veneta Fricks, staff senate president.
Based on the projected enrollment of full-time equivalent students, the increases will generate approximately $3.1 million in additional revenue for the Education & General (E&G) budget, which will be applied toward a 2% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and technology, according to UCA. Athletic fee revenue will generate approximately $129,702, which will support game travel, while Access & Security fee revenue will generate approximately $1.3 million, which will be applied toward support, deferred maintenance for roads, parking lots and sidewalks, and security needs.
Any increase in tuition can add strain on students, but students acknowledge the necessity of it and appreciate the university’s investments in safety and security, both of which contribute to student success, said Kylie McGraw, Student Government Association president.
Trustees also approved the operating budget for fiscal 2026 — which begins July 1 — including restoration of 3% reductions from the fiscal 2025 budget, recognition of a decrease in state appropriations of nearly $1 million, and 5% increases in room and board rates. The budget totals $211,440,485, an increase of $10,199,716, or 5.07%, over the October 2024 revised budget.
Salaries and benefits together comprise 55% of the operating budget for E&G and Auxiliary — consistent with industry standards — and salary items include $2,067,282 for a 2% COLA for faculty and staff, $220,000 for increases related to faculty promotions and advancement, $249,741 for a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour at an annual salary of $31,200 for all full-time positions, and $249,741 for faculty longevity bonuses similar to staff career service bonuses, according to according to President Houston Davis. Maintenance and Operation (M&O) is 17.66% of the budget and includes increases for technology contracts, a custodial services contract, food service and housing contracts, and other smaller adjustments.
In only two of the past eight years has UCA not provided a COLA, and “the lack of a longevity bonus was something we knew we needed to address, (because) we were out of step with current” standards, Davis said. The 2% COLA covers all employees, while 144 faculty are eligible for a longevity bonus.
Faculty appreciate efforts to keep tuition-and-fee increases modest, as well as the financial investments in employees, said Tori Dunlap, faculty senate president. And the longevity bonuses are “a nice example of our shared governance system at work,” as faculty pushed for them.
Last May, trustees approved a 4% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for 2024-25, following a 3.48% increase for 2023-24.
Total spring course enrollment increased nearly 4% from spring 2024, while overall fall 2024 enrollment was 10,123, a 3.4% gain from the previous fall.
This fall’s enrollment “is setting up to be similarly strong,” Davis said. Applications and admissions are both ahead of last year’s pace, while housing applications and orientation registrations are in line with the same time last year.
Roughly a third of the 2024-25 freshman class utilized UCA Commitment, as the 2024-25 academic year was the first the new initiative was available to students, according to UCA. Students from Arkansas households with less than $100,000 in income do not have to pay tuition and mandatory fees out of pocket under UCA Commitment.
UCA helps these students receive all federal and state aid due to them, as well as scholarships, then assists in making up any remaining balance through UCA scholarships and work-study programs, according to Davis. The UCA Commitment program applies only to tuition and mandatory fees, not other costs like housing and meals.
Tuition Around the State
Last month, Arkansas Tech University’s board of trustees approved a 3% increase in tuition for 2024-25.
It applies to all undergraduate and graduate students for the Russellville and Ozark campuses, resulting in an increase of $7.49 per student semester credit hour for Russellville campus undergraduate students, $9.44 per student semester credit hour for Russellville campus graduate/doctoral students, and $4.08 per student semester credit hour at ATU-Ozark, said Sam Strasner, ATU’s director of university relations. Mandatory fees at the Russellville campus are only increasing $1 per student semester credit hour, so the overall increase for tuition and mandatory fees is 2.55%.
Last week, the University of Arkansas System board of trustees approved tuition and mandatory fees for campuses. The total increase at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville — the state’s largest university by enrollment — for in-state undergraduates taking the typical 30 courses per year is 3.89%, while the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is increasing 7.65% (although tuition is only increasing for students who enrolled after fiscal 2023), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is increasing fees marginally but not tuition for a total increase of less than 1%, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff are increasing 3.39% and 3.40%, respectively.
