By JESSA LEWIS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The University of Tennessee's eight percent tuition increase, comes on the heels of a twelve percent increase last year.
While students and parents may wince at paying more, UT tuition isn't the highest among comparable public universities in the Southeast.
Democrats in the Tennessee House say there has to be another option, suggesting that some money could be used from this year's surplus to keep the costs down for students and parents.
"Someone that has the ability and the aptitude to go on to higher ed, we shouldn't let the financial burden of that be a barrier to our Tennessee students," said Rep. Joe Armstrong (D-Knoxville).
Tennessee's latest tuition increase is less than Auburn's 8.6 percent tuition hike. Both schools have about the same number of undergraduates.
Auburn's tuition is noticeably higher than Tennessee's - $9,446 - which is hundreds more than tuition at UT. Tennessee's tuition is now estimated at $7,802.
State Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) says universities have more of a choice when it comes to getting the funding they need.
"Universities, with their research, with their tuitions, they have different ways to reach their budgets. When you look at K-12, they don't have those same resources," Rep. Dunn said.
He also says there are other options when it comes to saving on higher ed. "People can make decisions on where they want to go. They can go to UT for four years or they can go to Pellissippi for two and then go on to UT or another school, and so there's ways they can cut their own costs also. So they have more options than other parts of the state budget," Dunn said.
Comparing Tennessee with other schools in the Southeastern Conference, the University of Kentucky has higher tuition, but the percent increase is lower at only six percent.
And now it will cost more to attend Tennessee than Georgia. The Bulldogs will pay five percent more in tuition next year: $7,646.
6 News also checked on several other universities' tuition rates. NC State had the highest percentage increase from last year, at 11.5%. Tuition there is expected to run $5,748 next year.
Louisiana State students can expect to see a 10% increase in tuition and fees starting this fall.
These figures are based on full time, in-state, undergraduate tuition only. None of these prices include the mandatory fees charged by universities.
