The University of Colorado filed a formal request with the state Friday seeking to increase its in-state tuition by up to 9.5 percent next year, and outlined plans for four more years of hikes as high as 9 percent.
A 9.5 percent increase, which CU is requesting as the ceiling for next year's increase, would add $667 to undergraduate tuition in the College of Arts and Sciences, which enrolls most students. That would bring the annual bill to $7,685.
But CU officials say it's too early to draft specific tuition proposals, and rates are typically set in June and depend heavily on state funding. Friday's request, if approved by state officials, reserves the option for CU to raise next year's tuition beyond 9 percent.
"This increase is necessary to continue operations with a reduced level of state support," according to the plan that CU filed with the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
The plan says CU expects to receive $158.5 million in state support, and may face a revenue gap of $77 million in fiscal year 2011-12.
If in-state tuition were to increase at the maximum rate outlined in CU's five-year plan, it would reach about $10,850 by the 2015-16 school year. That's 55 percent more than tuition now.
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