University of Utah leaders propose a 2.9% general tuition increase for the 2026-27 Academic Year.

For a full-time undergraduate student, the tuition increase is equal to approximately $317 per semester. The increase will support a projected 2.5% compensation increase for staff and faculty; salary adjustments for inflation, retention and promotion; and core academic and student success functions.

The Utah Board of Higher Education reviewed tuition and fee proposals at all the state’s colleges and universities at a meeting on March 27 and approved the increase.

The proposal includes five differential tuition increases proposed by U colleges and programs (slide deck below).

The university’s tuition increase is in the middle of the pack for USHE institutions, with Southern Utah University adopting a 2.5% tuition increase and Utah Tech University and Utah State University proposing increases of more than 4 percent. Both schools had their tuition proposals reduced by the Board of Higher Education.

The University of Utah’s tuition remains the lowest in the West among member schools in the American Association of Universities, the top research institutions in the country. U tuition is $2,000 lower than the next closest AAU member. The U also graduates fully half of Utah’s STEM graduates. And the average U graduate reported an average annual salary of $65,000. Utah’s median salary in 2024 was $48,600.

“We always look at the balance between the cost of attending the U., and what students gain from being here,” Mitzi Montoya, executive vice president for Academic Affairs, said during the university’s March 4 Truth in Tuition hearing. “In today’s economy, every dollar you spend is a sacrifice, and we are mindful of that.”

At the same time, the university is implementing significant financial aid benefits and cost controls, including:

• The Utah Promise Scholarship, which launches in Fall 2026 and covers full tuition and fees for first-year students from households with less than $100,000 in income and assets.
• A 10% reduction in the computing fee, which will save U students $20 a year.
• A new, flexible tuition payment option—no-fee eChecks/ACH (Automated Clearing House). Credit card payments will include a 3% service fee, aligning with colleges and universities across the country.

The university invests more than $74 million annually in scholarships for Utah residents and $58.3 million in merit scholarships offered to more than 9,100 students. Nearly 11,000 Utah students receive scholarship offers each year.

Once enrolled, two-thirds of new, first-time U students received scholarships or grants from all sources, including 69% who received institutional scholarships. The university provided more than $150 million in total scholarship funding, and students received more than $398 million in total financial aid last year. More than 33,000 U students completed the FAFSA.

U leaders say the changes will help shore up and boost the unique education opportunities available to students at Utah’s flagship research university, including:

• Wraparound holistic student services (health and wellness, academic advising, financial aid, career coaching.
• Helping the university retain and promote exceptional faculty researchers and teachers.
• Growing opportunities for undergraduate research with some 500 faculty representing fields across all disciplines. More than 90% of students who take advantage of undergraduate research opportunities graduate within 6 years, and two-thirds graduate within four years. More than three-fourths land a job in the state within a year after graduating, and 25% pursue graduate education.

Review the Truth in Tuition presentation below.