Regents' Policy Manual - Section 4.7: Tuition and Fees

Adopted Date: 09-12-1996
Amended: 11-14-1996
Amended: 03-13-2000
Amended: 12-12-2014
Amended: 01-09-2015

Applicability

This policy applies to the annual determination of tuition and mandatory fee rates for resident and nonresident undergraduate and graduate students, including the differential tuition charged for certain programs. All changes to tuition and fee rates, including differential tuition, go into effect on the first day of the fall semester following the Regents’ approval.  The Board of Regents has plenary authority and responsibility for the setting of tuition and mandatory fee rates for students at all levels, undergraduate, graduate and professional, and does so in the exercise of its sound judgment and discretion.

Policy

The Board of Regents has ultimate authority for approving tuition and fee rates.  The Board will consider recommendations received from the University President, as well as from the Provost, Chancellor for Health Sciences (for the Health Sciences Center), and the Branch Campus Advisory Boards (for the branch campuses). 

The Board has charged the University President, in conjunction with the Provost, Chancellor, and Branch Campus Advisory Boards, for developing an equitable process for determining the annual tuition and fee rate recommendations.  At all stages, starting early in the budget cycle, the process should emphasize the five elements of collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency, timeliness, and accountability and provide:

• regular communication with the Board
• meaningful opportunities for student involvement
• meaningful opportunities for involvement by faculty, staff, and academic leaders

Among factors to be considered in determining tuition and fee rates are comments from campus constituents, access issues, levels of state appropriations, reduction of expenses, availability of need-based financial aid, charges at peer and regional institutions, national trends, economic conditions, recruitment and retention of faculty on the national market, recognition of the social benefits of higher education, strategic initiatives and priorities of the University, and other parameters defined in this policy.

Financial assistance will be available to mitigate the effects of increases in tuition and fees in order to assure access to the University for qualified students who demonstrate the greatest financial need.

Objectives

In setting the annual tuition and fee rates, the Regents endeavor to:

• provide a rationale for the University's tuition and fees decisions
• stabilize the planning and operation of University functions
• provide predictability and consistency with respect to tuition and fees as a guide to students and their families
• ensure that students and the state continue to share the cost of education at UNM in reasonable proportions
• ensure that tuition and fee decisions are consistent with the goals and objectives of the University
• be sensitive to relevant national and regional tuition and policy trends
• ensure that current New Mexico economic conditions of the consumer are considered in establishing tuition policy
• provide competitive salaries for faculty and staff
• provide a meaningful opportunity for student input in the University’s budget development process, particularly in regard to tuition and fees
• avoid rate increases through reduction of expenses and reallocation of funds
• move UNM toward achieving its strategic goals
• assess administration-prioritized expenditure options and proposed funding strategies for each of them

Mandatory Fees

Mandatory fees consist of a student activity fee, a facility/information technology debt service fee, and a student government fee.

The Student Fee Review Board recommends student activity fee amounts and unit allocations of student activity fee revenue to the Budget Leadership Team. The Budget Leadership Team recommends fee amounts and allocations to the University President, who approves the allocations of student activity fee revenue and recommends a student activity fee rate to the Regents.

A debt service fee with two components, a facility fee and an enterprise resource planning project fee, is assessed to help the University repay the outstanding principal and interest on bonds sold by the University.  The fee is calculated based upon the amount needed by the University to make required debt service payments.  The fee is set at the time bonds are issued, and approved annually by the Regents.

Subject to authorization by the Regents, a student government fee is levied on each student, as specified in the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Constitution and the Graduate and Professional Student Association Constitution.

References

UAP 8210 (“Tuition and Fees”)

UAP 1310 (“Student Fee Review Board”)