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UT Health Science Center proposes 2% tuition increase; trustees approve
Summary
The committee approved a 2% across‑the‑board tuition increase recommendation for UT Health Science Center and discussed scholarship commitments and program‑level pricing strategies.
Trustees approved tuition recommendations for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center after hearing a presentation by system and campus leaders.
Rajkirapati presented a tuition strategy that used program‑level analysis and peer comparisons and said the board‑recommended approach emphasizes affordability for Tennessee residents while also creating more institutional scholarship dollars. "We're recommending a 2% across the board, tuition increase," Rajkirapati said, noting the proposed increase is within the Tennessee Higher Education Commission's recommended range of 0–2.5%.
He told trustees the campus will set aside an additional $1 million in recurring institutional funds this year to build scholarship capacity and form a scholarship committee to create need‑based and merit components. Discussion covered program‑specific pricing differences — for example, nursing in‑state tuition is about one‑third of out‑of‑state rates while pharmacy in‑state is closer to 75% of out‑of‑state — and the group discussed market factors and state subsidy levels.
The committee moved and seconded the tuition recommendation and approved it by voice vote.
Why it matters: the tuition decision affects HSC students' cost of attendance and scholarship strategy; trustees emphasized preserving affordability for Tennessee residents and aligning pricing with program quality.
Next steps: campus leaders will implement the increase for HSC, pursue the institutional scholarship plan and report back as recruitment and affordability metrics evolve.
