TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State University announced Monday it will be adding a "tuition surcharge" for all on-campus students due to recent budget cuts.
In a statement, the Tempe-based university said a loss of $24 million in funding from the state has forced them to add a surcharge worth about $350 to full-time students in the spring of 2025.
12News spoke to several students on ASU's Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses. While some weren't concerned because they said their parents pay for their tuition, others said that $350 on top of everything else they pay for will have a big impact on them.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: ASU cobrará extra a estudiantes y cerrará un campus debido a recortes presupuestarios estatales
"Parking, books and all of that, I feel like 350 above of all of that is pretty expensive," said junior Yelitca Curiel.
"I'm not too happy about the increase in our tuition," said Aditya Anand, a senior at ASU.
The funding loss will also result in about 800 fewer students being served by the Arizona Teachers Academy, a program intended to incentivize students to become teachers in the Grand Canyon State.
The ASU Lake Havasu Center will shut down due to the funding changes and about 2,600 students could be impacted by a cut in funding to the Arizona Promise Scholarship Program, the university said.
“These necessary actions reflect the continuing lack of public investment from state government for higher education in Arizona,’’ ASU President Michael M. Crow said in a statement. “ASU simply cannot be asked to fund the expansion of higher education across the state without state investment as a part of the financial structure to do so."
Each of Arizona's three public universities was subjected to a 3.45% budget cut after state lawmakers and the governor signed off on a budget earlier this year, according to the University of Arizona.
State appropriations for higher education in Arizona decreased by about 2.8% between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
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