Tuition
As reductions in university funding from the state continue, students are being unfairly asked to take on a disproportionate share of the bill via increases in tuition and fees.
Despite the fact that the Arizona Constitution guarantees that higher education be “as nearly free as possible,” university tuition in the state has skyrocketed, increasing by over 160 percent in the last nine years alone.
Consequentially, over half of Arizona’s students and families are forced to take out student loans to finance their education, and are graduating with increasingly larger debt burdens (an average of $17,572 for undergraduates, and $34,288 for graduate students). This, coupled with the shortage of financial aid, places enormous challenges on individuals seeking a university degree and jeopardizes college affordability.
As a result, ASA will continue to address all facets of the tuition issue, and advocate for policies that benefit and protect students.