Arizona attorney general lawsuit over university tuition dismissed
Apr 27, 2018, 4:10 AM
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich against the state university system.
He claimed tuition is so high, it violates the state Constitution. A provisions states public university tuition must be as close to free as possible.
Tuition at undergraduate universities has increased dramatically since the 2008-09 school year.
That year, Arizona State resident tuition was $5,318. Arizona cost $5,274 and NAU cost $5,424.
The Arizona Board of Regents announced ASU tuition for in-state undergraduates would be $10,882 next year. Arizona would cost $12,447 and NAU would be $11,564.
“Our high-quality degrees are competitively priced, and cost per student at Arizona’s public universities is nearly 30 percent less than at our peer institutions,” ABOR said in a statement Thursday.
Several universities in California cost more than $40,000 per year to attend.
Thursday’s ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court judge Connie Contes said Brnovich has no authority to sue over the issue.
Brnovich also sued over their decision to provide lower in-state tuition rates for young immigrants who were granted deferred deportation status. The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month in another case that those students don’t qualify.
Brnovich spokeswoman Mia Garcia said he is considering whether to appeal.
