Southern Utah University’s Truth in Tuition Hearing was held on Tuesday, March 3, in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Theater to disclose the university’s financial decisions for the 2026–27 academic year. This meeting is held across the state for all eight public Universities that receive federal funding.
SUU President Mindy Benson hosted the meeting and welcomed everyone in attendance. She went over the purpose of the meeting and why she thinks it’s important for students to be aware of where their money is going. She then turned the time over to Vice President of Finance and Administration Mary Pearson.
Pearson stated that SUU plans to increase tuition by 5% for both undergraduate and graduate programs, starting in the fall semester.The increase will be split in half between the two programs, meaning each will receive a 2.5% increase, coming out to a little under $100 a semester.
SUU currently sits at the third most expensive university in the state, below the University of Utah and Utah State University. Pearson explained that the average nationwide price for higher education increases about 3.6% annually while the SUU’s tuition cost has only increased annually by 1.49% over the last decade.
The reason for the tuition increase is to integrate artificial intelligence into multiple aspects of the school, including finances. A $3 increase to Athletics as well as the SUU Outdoors department and the school radio-station,Thunder 91, will also be noticeable in student fees.
This sparked some concerns among students, but Benson assured the crowd that the use of AI won’t affect anybody’s jobs. She said it would actually do the opposite. SUU is planning on hiring 10 students as interns to work on this project and learn how to use the AI software.
Lincoln Huckaby, a student in attendance, shared his opinion on the subject.
“I think overall it’s a good thing,” said Huckaby. “It’s been really well thought out, and when you compare it to other state averages, it still keeps us in a good spot. While it’s a little bit of an increase for us, it ultimately is going to be used to benefit students and initiatives that benefit us as a whole.”
SUU’s Board of Trustees is voting on the meeting’s proposed adjustments and final approval will then move to the Utah Board of Higher Education for consideration.
Author: Andrew Streeeter
Editor: Fanny Felixine
Photos courtesy of SUU
life@suunews.net
