Tuition at the flagship Manoa campus will grow by 142 percent over the next six years, while tuition at the system's other four-year campuses will climb 120 percent and community college tuition will jump 98 percent.

The current tuition for a Manoa undergraduate resident is $1,752 per semester. The figure will increase to $4,200 in the 2011-2012 school year.

Board members acknowledged some students and their families will be hard hit by the higher tuition. But they said increases are needed to ensure the long-term viability and quality of the UH system as enrollment grows and state funding declines.

"We're taking some risks here, but it is imperative that we, as the regents, make sure that the organization remains fiscally sound," regent Jim Haynes said.

The increases will bring in an additional $120 million a year in the sixth year of the tuition schedule.

The money will be used to improve the quality of education by hiring and retaining first-rate faculty, adding classes and improving facilities, university officials said.

After listening to testimony from students, the administration modified the tuition increases to be spread over six years, rather than an original proposal of five years.

Student leaders had said tuition hikes would price out many students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.

But a number of UH professors and college deans said a shortage of funds had left many faculty positions vacant and prevented the university from offering enough classes to meet demand.