The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to eliminate the Special Institutional Fee and will not raise tuition rates at “most institutions” for the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a Tuesday press release. Undergraduate and graduate tuition will remain the same for the third year in a row at 25 of 26 USG institutions, including the University of Georgia.
The elimination of the special institutional fee will save UGA students $450 per semester. Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the state will increase USG’s budget by almost $230 million, allowing for the fee’s elimination, according to the release. The elimination of the fee is something campus activists have urged for years.
In 2009, the USG Board of Regents was challenged to oversee and implement more than $1.4 billion in state funding reductions during the Great Recession. The special institutional fee was then implemented as a temporary measure to address pressures “on the teaching mission and to ensure high-quality course offerings to meet graduation requirements,” according to the University of Georgia.
“The university system’s longstanding commitment to affordability helps empower students, keeping them on track to learn the skills they need to get good jobs in a highly skilled workforce,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said.
