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Tracy Mercer, Information Research Analyst
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Regents Approve Tuition & Fee Rates for 2021-22

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents this week approved tuition and mandatory fees for the upcoming academic year. The impact to students in the public university system is an average cost increase of $104.98 per year, or 1.1 percent.

 “Affordability for students and their families is a major consideration for us,” said Brian L. Maher, the regents’ executive director and CEO. “Setting tuition and fees must be done with a mind to balancing student affordability against the real costs of providing education. A minimal 1 percent adjustment is consistent with those goals.”

There are a number of fixed costs that impact tuition and fee rates, including a 2.4 percent salary policy in the coming year for all employees. The state covers less than half of this salary and benefit package for employees in the public university system, so tuition, fees, and student charges are raised internally to cover the remainder of that obligation. “When the Legislature approves a base fund increase for employee salaries, tuition at the regental system must also increase to compensate for a portion of Board of Regents’ employees not funded with state dollars,” Maher explained.

 On average, an in-state undergraduate student taking 30 credit hours next year will pay $9,358.99 for tuition and mandatory fees. These new rates are effective for the 2021-22 academic year that begins this summer.