The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted April 12 to maintain current tuition and fees at most USG institutions and to eliminate the Special Institutional Fee beginning in the Fall 2022 Semester. As a result, undergraduate and graduate tuition costs will remain the same next year for University of Georgia students.
This is the third year in a row—and the fifth time in seven years—that the Board of Regents has approved keeping tuition flat at UGA. The removal of the Special Institutional Fee, meanwhile, will save UGA students $450 per semester. The Special Institutional Fee was initiated by the board in 2009 to maintain outstanding academic programming and operations amid state funding reductions related to the Great Recession. The elimination of the fee was made possible by increases to the USG budget of almost $230 million by the State of Georgia.
Affordability is a top priority of UGA, and the institution has partnered closely with USG to achieve this important aim. In recent years, for instance, UGA has eliminated laboratory and course material fees, resulting in more than $1.3 million in annual savings for students, in addition to savings resulting from faculty transitioning from costly textbooks to open and affordable course materials. The university also has kept mandatory fees flat for three consecutive years, which reflects a shared commitment to affordability.
Meanwhile, scholarships have been a core component of UGA’s private fundraising efforts. Over the past six years, UGA alumni and friends have created nearly 650 endowed, need-based awards through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program, accounting for almost $100 million in new commitments to need-based aid. As a result of these and other efforts, UGA consistently ranks as a top value university.
