SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox is proposing some relief for college students across Utah.
Speaking to reporters at his monthly news conference, the governor said he was still not supportive of President Biden's student loan forgiveness plans. Instead, he said the goal should be to make higher education more affordable.
"Why aren’t we attacking the problem? What we try to do in our administration is get upstream on where the problem is," he said.
Gov. Cox said Utah is on the lower end of higher education costs and has some of the lowest student loan rates in the nation.
"But being the best of a broken system isn’t helping anybody. You know what would help people? A tuition freeze. We should not increase tuition next year," he said. "So if you’re looking for a headline or something to write that’s something I will be proposing, a tuition freeze. Across the board."
Gov. Cox said they have been generous in funding higher education, but Utah's colleges and universities could do a little more with less. Asked by FOX 13 News if Utah's Board of Higher Education was on board with the idea, Gov. Cox replied: "They will be."
"The Utah Board of Higher Education evaluates tuition and fees at Utah’s colleges and universities annually, and it's topmost concern is keeping college affordable and accessible for our students," Utah Board of Higher Education Chair Lisa Michele Church said in a statement to FOX 13 News. "As the Governor noted, inflation is impacting the finances of individuals and families nationwide, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a higher education remains within reach for Utah students. We look forward to working with Governor Cox and the Utah Legislature in the next year on this proposal."
Students at the University of Utah were excited about the proposal.
"I pay right now, I think about $20,000 so that’s going to be really helpful for my family," said Ian Grogan.
Marjella Lajuan said her tuition bill was around $8,000.
"I think it’s really hard sometimes to think about how to pay for tuition, living costs and just trying to find food," she said. "I think a freeze on tuition would be great, just as a reliever."
