MEMPHIS, Tenn. — During a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday in Memphis, administrators voted to increase the price of tuition at two University of Tennessee campuses — Chattanooga and Martin.
UT Chattanooga will have a 2% tuition increase during the 2021-2022 academic year, while UT Martin will increase by 1.7%, resulting in around $164 more for students to attend. Officials said the increases were within a range set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Chattanooga's increases are projected to increase revenue by $1,809,423. That money will go towards funding scholarships, student support programs and hiring additional faculty.
However, the board voted not to change UT Knoxville's tuition and welcomed a new campus to the University of Tennessee system — UT Southern, located in Pulaski. It will be UT's fourth campus and will serve 13 counties in southern Middle Tennessee.
They also voted to increase the pool of funds used to give faculty and staff salaries. They also approved several maintenance requests on campuses across the state, including a steam boiler replacement in Knoxville, repairs n the Second Creek in Knoxville and improvements on the steam plant.
Administrators also said they saw the largest-ever increase in funding from the state. In April, Governor Lee approved a state budget that set aside nearly $1 billion for maintenance and repairs across the state, including in the University of Tennessee.
The board also hired 32 new people to its extension program, supporting underserved counties across Tennessee.
Full campus operations are also set to resume after many campuses went virtual due to the pandemic.
The university enrolls around 50,000 students across Tennessee and graduates around 11,000 of them every year.