BYU NewsNet - BYU Tuition Rises for Coming Year

Brigham Young University officials released the new tuition costs for the 2009-2010 school year: a 5.1 percent increase.

As is the custom, the cost of undergraduate and graduate tuition is adjusted every year. The following academic year will raise undergraduate tuition fees from $2,040 to $2,145, a difference of $105. Graduate students will pay $130 more, bringing the total semester cost for graduate school to $2,710. Additionally, law and management schools will increase the price tag by 8 percent, totaling $4,990.

According to a university press release, the tuition hike will also affect spring and summer terms, bringing the cost for undergraduates to $1,073 and for graduates to $1,335.

The release also stated students who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will pay twice the rates listed above, as it has been done in years past.

BYU spokeswoman, Carri Jenkins, said the new tuition costs are implemented to keep up with rising costs of education.

"Our goal has always been to be financially prudent while at the same time providing students with a quality education," Jenkins said.

Furthermore, she said BYU maintains the goal of low tuition costs by managing resources wisely.

"BYU has and will continue to engage in a disciplined resource planning process that emphasizes an efficient use of resources," Jenkins said.

Rachel Matheson, a freshman from American Fork, said the church-run university is in good hands, but the tuition increase is no fun.

"I'm not so happy about it," Matheson said, "just because we already have to pay so much for school as it is."

However, students are pleased to see BYU is cheaper in comparison to other universities.

Nathan Newman, a finance major from New Providence, N.J., said the tuition is much better than what he was paying at UVU out-of-state tuition before coming to BYU.

"I have a lot of friends that go to different universities and they have to pay a lot more," Newman said. "I transferred from UVU, and I was paying almost double."