Tuition to rise, but UW named a ‘best buy’ by 3 publications

Following a formula mandated by the state, undergraduate, in-state tuition at the University of Washington will rise 11.5 percent next autumn to $2,178 a year.

Then in the fall of 1992, tuition will rise another 4 percent to $2,274 a year.

Currently undergraduates pay $1,953 annually. Undergraduate resident students are required to pay one-third of the cost of their education, while non-residents pay 100 percent. Out-of-state tuition for undergraduates will rise to $6,075 in 1991 and $6,345 in 1992.

The state Higher Education Coordinating Board set the new rates in November, following state law mandated by the legislature. The UW does not set tuition levels and tuition revenue collected by the University is transferred directly to the state’s coffers.

Despite the pending increases, the UW remains a bargain, according to three national publications. Money magazine’s America’s Best College Buys puts the UW 19th nationally among 100 public colleges.

The 1991 Fiske Guide to Colleges, prepared by New York Times writer Edward Fiske, picked the UW among 300 of the country’s “best and most interesting colleges.” The guide does not attempt to rank these 300 institutions into any order.

Barron’s 300 Best Buys in College Education also listed the University of Washington among its “best buys.” Like the Fiske guide, Barron’s does not attempt to rank colleges within its selection.