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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 20, 2003

UH-Hilo to end two-tier tuition

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

The two-tier tuition rate system at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo — which was $650 cheaper annually for underclassmen than upperclassmen — will be eliminated beginning this fall.

The action was approved Thursday by the UH Board of Regents in its monthly meeting at Windward Community College. The tuition differential for underclassmen and upperclassmen has been in effect since UH-Hilo and Hawai'i Community College were merged, but will create difficulties with establishment of a new student information system.

There was minimal opposition to the proposed changes during public hearings, and the regents agreed to drop the $865 per semester for lower division students, setting it at the higher rate of $1,188 per semester for all.

Compared to the national average for similar institutions, UH-Hilo's resident tuition is 42 percent lower.

At current enrollment levels, an additional $360,000 will be earned this year as a result of the change, with $720,000 per year after that.

In other action Thursday, the regents approved the establishment for one year of an International Exchange Program Scholarship for UH-Manoa that allows incoming exchange students who are not receiving a full tuition waiver to pay 150 percent of resident tuition. This gives international students a break on the cost of tuition because they don't have to pay out-of-state tuition, but still brings additional income to the university while increasing its international profile.

Additionally, Mary E. Tiles, president of the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, filed a letter with the regents asking that they approve a local and national search to fill the newly renamed positions of chancellor at each of the community colleges.

Under the recent campus-wide reorganization, community college provosts will be raised to the title of chancellors and will carry equal weight in the organization with the chancellors of the four-year campuses.

"UHPA strongly urges you not to just transfer the current Community College Provosts to Chancellor positions, but to advertise these newly created positions," said the letter.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.