At its Feb. 14 meeting, the University of Colorado’s board of regents considered three scenarios that would enact their budgetary priorities of a 3% tuition increase for resident undergraduates and between a 1% and 3% increase in employee compensation.

The Denver and Colorado Springs campuses have planned budget reductions of between $2.1 million and $2.5 million due to lower enrollment, CU Connections reported. The university will in part use money from its reserve to fill the gap. 

A 3% increase would mean each resident undergraduate would pay an additional $300 in annual tuition payments approximately. 

In scenario A, CU would receive a 4% increase in state funding. In scenario B, there would be a 2.5% increase, which is the governor’s proposal. Scenario C anticipates a 6% increase. All three cases have the planned tuition increase and employee raise.

“We’re going to be having to constantly be more efficient, even with an inflationary adjustment,” said CU President Mark Kennedy. “Without that, it’s going to harm our ability to deliver on the talent and the discovery that the state needs, and that our students need, in order to succeed in their lives.”

Keeping tuition flat at the Denver campus would balloon its shortfall to $12 million. “This would dramatically reduce our ability to meet the needs of the students we serve,” the university noted in its budget presentation.

The same presentation noted that nationally, enrollment at public health schools is down 10% on average, and CU Anschutz Medical Campus is no exception. The pharmacy programs expect an 11% decrease in enrollment, and the Colorado School of Public Health has a larger graduating class than incoming class.

The university pointed to the Equal Pay Act, a state law that takes effect in January 2021 and prohibits unjustified wage differentials based on sex, as requiring compensation changes that a tuition increase must cover. The board will vote on the changes at its April 2-3 meeting.