The Board of Regents will vote this week on a proposed 2.5% tuition increase for the 2022-23 academic year. 

If approved, this will be the sixth year in a row WSU has increased tuition. Three of the last five years had the maximum increase allowed by law, according to the Board of Regents meeting documents.

This increase would raise undergraduate resident tuition from $10,457 to $10,718 and undergraduate non-resident tuition from $25,773 to $26,417, according to the documents.

University administrators expect to see an enrollment decline for the third straight year, according to the documents.

A tuition increase is one way to offset deeper budget cuts coupled with increased operating costs, according to the documents.  

The Board of Regents will also vote on a proposed $2.7 million increase in the nearly $60 million project budget for a new life sciences building at WSU Vancouver, according to the documents. The extra funding would be used for design, permitting and infrastructure work to begin while the building is under construction.

The Regents will also discuss the following this week:

• Renaming the Athletics Indoor Practice Facility to the Taylor Sports Complex. The Taylor family paid $7 million toward the completion of the project, according to the documents.
• Establishing a new dual credit program that is a “blend of running start and college in the high school.” This program would target students with less access to college or those from rural areas.
• Renaming master’s and doctorate degrees from “veterinary sciences” to “biomedical sciences.”
• Adding a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry to the Vancouver campus.
• Designating authority to President Kirk Schulz to increase parking rates up to certain limits. This could increase annual permits up to 10% and daily rates by $2. 

The Board of Regents will meet virtually starting at 9 a.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday. Live streams of the session meetings will be available on the WSU YouTube channel.