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POSTED: Sunday, October 26, 2008

Hanging out with friends in the courtyard of the Hale Aloha dorms, Lane Paquin of Florida said he's dropped out of University of Hawaii-Manoa for a year to try to establish Hawaii residency.

               

     

 

 

UH Undergraduate Tuition, 2008-2009         UH-Manoa         Current Resident: $5,952 Current Nonresident: $16,608 Possible Nonresident Increase: Up to $23,232         UH-Hilo         Current Resident: $4,056 Current Nonresident: $12,576 Possible Nonresident Increase: $17,112         UH West Oahu         Current Resident: $3,696 Current Nonresident: $10,176 Possible Nonresident Increase: $15,744         Community Colleges         Current Resident: $71 per credit hour Current Nonresident: $360 per credit hour Possible Nonresident Increase: $482 per credit hour Source: University of Hawaii

“;I can't afford out-of-state (tuition) any more,”; said Paquin, who would have been a sophomore this year.

His friend Nick Barto, a sophomore from Hilo, said he understands.

“;It (nonresident tuition) is good for the institution. But if they charge too much more for out-of-state students, there won't be that many of them,”; Barto said. “;If I had to pay out-of-state, I would not come here.”;

This spring, the UH Board of Regents plans to review the university's policies on nonresident student enrollment, including tuition and a cap that attempts to limit out-of-state enrollment to 30 percent of the students at UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo. Both campuses have been out of compliance with the nonresident enrollment cap for years.

Linda Johnsrud, UH vice president for academic planning and policy, said the enrollment caps were established in 2002 with the goal of making sure that the university's top priority is to provide an education to residents who pay, or whose parents pay , taxes to support the public higher-education system.

“;For me ,the fundamental issue is maximizing our revenues and assuring access to our resident students,”; Johnsrud said.

Other factors, such as the availability of housing, financial aid, UH participation in student exchange programs and the cost of attending college, also affect how many out-of-state students come here and should be part of a policy review, Johnsrud said.

UH President David McClain said administrators are considering asking the regents to raise tuition for nonresident students.

UH is in the middle of a six-year plan to increase tuition. Residents currently pay $5,952 per academic year. Nonresident tuition is $16,608 and is scheduled to go up to $23,232 in three years.

McClain said administrators are discussing whether to accelerate the increase and ask out-of-state students to pay the higher rate sooner.

Johnsrud said the current nonresident tuition just about covers the estimated cost of providing a college education. When the current tuition increase ends in 2012, resident undergraduate tuition will cover 52 percent of the cost at UH-Manoa and nonresident tuition will cover 144 percent of the cost.

The tuition increases approved in 2005 are also designed to bring UH tuition to about the average of other public universities.

At a meeting Thursday on Maui, regents questioned whether nonresident tuition is still too low.

“;One of the greatest sins in business is to undercharge as well as overcharge,”; said Regent Jim Haynes.

Regent Harvey Tajiri said he talked to a UH-Hilo student from Florida who told him it was cheaper to go to school in Hawaii than to pay resident tuition in his home state.

“;We're not acting in the best interest of everybody if we can get more from each student,”; Tajiri said. Additional revenues would help local students, he said.

Tajiri said he favors having the market determine how many nonresident students come here.

“;From a business point of view, it makes sense, but I'm always concerned about unintended consequences,”; said Regent Kitty Lagareta.

Lagareta said she strongly believes board policy should emphasize access to education for residents rather than “;selling it to the highest bidder.”;

Johnsrud said current nonresident tuition is “;attractive.”; But, she said, “;we don't know how many of those students would still come here if we were to increase our tuition.”;

After the meeting, UH-Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng said the issue is not simple.

In 2005, 40 percent of UH-Hilo students were from out of state. This year, that percentage is down to 31 percent.

Tseng said the campus was able to increase local student recruitment and reduce the number of exchange students from the mainland.

The lower percentage of nonresidents also means less tuition money, Tseng noted.

Out-of-state students paying higher tuition support residents in some graduate programs, Johnsrud noted. About half of the students enrolled in the business, engineering and pharmacy schools are from out of state and their higher tuition offsets the cost for local students, she said.

Nonresident students also allow UH-Hilo to offer classes in subjects like marine science and astronomy that might not fill up with just local students, Tseng said.

“;There are also benefits for quality education in having more international students,”; she said, especially in an age of globalization.

“;Every country, every school I know is trying to get more international students,”; she said. “;We are hurting ourselves with these artificial barriers.”;

At UH-Manoa, Ashley McCleney, a freshman from Arizona, wondered whether it's a good idea to raise tuition in a down economy.

Not only is it going to be more difficult for out-of-state students to come here, but McCleney noted that Hawaii's economy is dependent on tourists and students from the mainland spending money here.

Johnsrud said estimates are that out-of-state students, including those attending private colleges, contributed $312 million to Hawaii's economy in 2006 with spending on living expenses and housing.

Johnsrud noted that not all nonresidents pay full tuition. Native Hawaiians from out of state, students attending UH through East-West Center programs, and active-duty military and dependents pay resident tuition. Graduate teaching assistants also get tuition waivers.

Nonresident students received $14 million in UH scholarships and $11 million in tuition waivers last year, she said.

Students who attend UH-Manoa or UH-Hilo as part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange program and students from Pacific nations pay 50 percent more than the resident rate, rather than full nonresident tuition.

Last year, about 2,050 students came to Hawaii under the WUE program while 1,403 students from Hawaii attended colleges in other states.

Johnsrud said UH-Manoa is the most popular campus in the WUE program and UH-Hilo is third most popular. UH would probably get even more WUE students from out of state if there were more housing for them, she said.

About half of the dorm students at UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo are from out of state, Johnsrud said. She said the administration also might take a look at whether the current housing priorities should be changed.

Johnsrud said the administration could decide next month on some policy recommendations and then take them to students, faculty and community members at UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo in December and January.

The recommendations will likely come to the Board of Regents for a vote in March or April.

“;We'll consider all the factors, not only the impact on the school but on the students as well,”; said Board Chairman Allan Landon.

               

     

 

 

IN AND OUT OF STATE         Enrollment and tuition revenues from residents and nonresidents for the 2007-2008 academic year                 UH-Manoa         Enrollment         Resident: 13,463; 67%         Nonresident: 6,588; 33%         Tuition Revenue         Resident: $68 million; 54%         Nonresident: $58 million; 46%                 UH-Hilo         Enrollment         Resident: 2,334; 65%         Nonresident: 1,239; 35%         Tuition Revenue         Resident: $7 million; 42%         Nonresident: $9 million; 58%                 Board of Regents Policy:         “;It is the basic purpose of the University of Hawaii to afford all qualified people of Hawaii an equal opportunity for quality college and university education at both undergraduate and graduate levels.”;                 Admissions:         “;The Board intends to provide for a mix of students while ensuring preference for qualified Hawaii residents.”; (BOR 5-11, 2002)