The University of Colorado Board of Regents approved tuition, student fees and compensation increases for faculty and staff at its most recent meeting.  

Tuition 

The regents approved tuition increases of 3% for resident students and 4% for nonresident students during the board’s meeting April 12, 2024, at CU Denver. Those increases will be in effect for fall 2024, spring 2025, and summer 2025 semesters.  

Student Fees 

The regents approved inflationary increases for most student fees, increases of $10 to student fees for the biology program (from $15 to $25 per semester) and theatre and dance (from $25 to $35 per semester), and a new $10 per semester fee for the humanities program to help fund the annual distinguished speaker event series.  

The approved student activities fee will increase from $16.06 to $30.40 per semester to fund expanded programming for the student government association and student clubs. This change comes from tireless effort by the SGA as they work toward increasing student engagement and retention. Other approved fee changes include the athletics fee ($11.02 to $12.00 per credit hour) and the reinstatement of the Green Action Fund fee ($6.39 per semester). 

Compensation 

In the area of compensation for classified staff, the regents approved a 3% across-the-board salary increase and step plan increases for qualifying individuals. For faculty, exempt professionals, and officers, a separate plan was approved. 

The compensation plan for non-classified campus employees was developed based on extensive consultation with cabinet and deans, shared governance leaders including faculty assembly and staff council, the university budget advisory committee (UBAC), and the compensation taskforce.  

“This new compensation plan grew organically from the input of our campus stakeholders and helps protect our employees who work so hard to connect face-to-face with our students and provide stellar service to them,” said Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Kathy Kaoudis. “It ties compensation for higher paid individuals to our shared responsibility for increased enrollment, whether from new students, from transfer students, or from retaining our existing students.”  

This plan includes a 2% merit salary pool for faculty, exempt professionals and officers with an annual salary at or below $85,000 and a compression, retention and equity (adjustments) pool for faculty, exempt professionals and officers.  

It also includes a 1% merit salary pool for faculty, exempt professionals and officers with an annual salary above $85,000, contingent on meeting revenue thresholds $1.5 million in tuition revenue above FY 2024-25 revenue estimates presented to the board at the April 12, 2024, meeting. The pool available for individuals with compensation $85,000 and below and the adjustments pool do not require the campus first meeting revenue thresholds. 

Non-student hourly wages will increase effective July 1, 2024, from $15.75 per hour to $16.22 per hour. Student hourly wages will increase from $15.00 per hour to $15.50 per hour. The change is expected to benefit over 1,100 individual students. 

In the last year, we also increased the minimum salary for instructors to $50,000, for senior instructors to $55,000, and for principle instructors to $62,000. Lecturer pay will increase by two percent in the coming calendar year. 

Tuition Assistance Benefits 

In addition, starting in fall 2024, all faculty and staff will be eligible for improved tuition assistance benefits. Previously, employees or their dependents could register for up to nine total credits annually; however, the benefit could not be shared between the employee or a dependent in the same academic year and employees had to wait to register no sooner than seven days prior to the start of the class. Dependents could register on the regular registration schedule.  

Starting fall term 2024, employees or dependents will now be able to register for up to twelve total credits each academic year and the benefit may be shared. There will also be no waiting period for registration for either employees or dependents. Both employees and dependents will be eligible to register during the regular registration period.  

“Improving this benefit is particularly important to me,” said Kaoudis. “As a university, we should provide and improve access to higher education for our own faculty and staff.” 

Other employee benefits are detailed on the CU Advantage website.

State Funding 

At the state level, we are awaiting action from the Governor on the state’s long budget bill, expected to be signed in early May. The current version of the long bill includes almost triple the Governor’s initial budget request for higher education statewide, almost $2 million in funding for a controlled maintenance project on the UCCS campus, and $2.8 million in funding for cybersecurity at UCCS.  

It is important to note that state funding and tuition rate increases do not cover mandatory cost increases, planned compensation increases or service level expectations. Costs continue to increase at rates higher than projected revenues resulting in a budget shortfall and requiring budget cuts. In fiscal year 2023-24, direct state funding accounts for $47.5 million of UCCS’s $179.2 million general fund revenue, or 26.5%. 

The full tuition, fees, and compensation presentations can be found here.