University of Alaska Regents Abolish Nonresident Tuition Surcharge
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The price Alaska residents pay for credits at UA System schools will be the same rate that out-of-state students pay, too. The University of Alaska Board of Regents voted to eliminate nonresident tuition, starting next year. The change is expected to increase enrollment, provide tuition transparency, and improve retention of out-of-state students while reducing administrative load.
Surpassing in Southeast
Setting tuition rates equal for Alaskans and nonresidents was pioneered at UAS as the “Alaska Unlocked” initiative. For the semester starting August 24, the results have already indicated enough support to extend the initiative systemwide. As of last month, UAS surpassed its baseline for new undergraduate, degree-seeking students from out of state, with applications up 18 percent year-over-year, admittances up 43 percent, and newly enrolled students up 33 percent over last year.
“This change will help bring in students who may not have otherwise considered UA and continue our trend of enrollment growth,” says Board of Regents Chair Scott Jepsen. The move is also part of broader efforts to improve UA System tuition transparency and to simplify student bills.
Current Issue
August 2026
According to the UA System, nonresident tuition brings in less than 1.2 percent of net tuition revenue, or less than $1.4 million in external funding. Approximately 85 percent of nonresident students already had the surcharge waived or discounted, which not only reduces the revenue but increases the complexity and administrative cost. Officials anticipate that enrollment growth will offset the revenue loss within two or three years.
“Eliminating out-of-state tuition is just one part of broader efforts to improve the student experience at UA, make us more competitive in the higher education marketplace, and grow and educate Alaska’s future workforce,” says UA President Matt Cooper.
Each university in the system will maintain its own tuition rates for graduate and undergraduate credits; the new policy means there will be no additional charge for out-of-state students. The waiver also applies only to the first year while residency is established.
According to the UA System, about three-quarters of students from out of state remain Alaska residents after graduation.
Current tuition for the academic year starting August 24 runs $251 per credit for lower-division undergraduates at UAA and at the UAF Community and Technical College, but nonresidents pay $875 at UAA and UAF. Upper-division credits at UAA and undergraduate credits at UAF run $302 for residents and $926 for nonresidents.
Tuition rates for the academic year starting in fall 2027 will be set for each campus by the Board of Regents in September and then finalized in November.
