Gov. Cox to propose ‘across the board’ tuition freeze for higher education

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s no secret that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox isn’t a fan of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.

Cox, in September, joined nearly half of governors across the nation in signing a letter denouncing the president’s student loan forgiveness plan and asking for it to be withdrawn.

During his monthly news conference on Thursday, Cox again spoke out against the plan.

“Nothing’s changed about my thoughts on student loan forgiveness,” Cox said.

Instead, he said, his focus is on how to make education less expensive.

To that tune, he suggested a tuition freeze for Utah higher education institutions.

“We should not increase tuition next year,” Cox said. “If you’re looking for a headline … that’s something that I will be proposing, is a tuition freeze, across the board, this year.”

That statement by Cox was quickly followed by a question asking if the Utah System of Higher Education would be on board with such a plan.

“They will be,” Cox said, with a smile.

After the news conference, the Utah System of Higher Education responded.

“The Utah Board of Higher Education evaluates tuition and fees at Utah’s 16 public colleges and universities annually, and its topmost concern is keeping college affordable and accessible for our students,” said Utah Board of Higher Education chairwoman Lisa Michele Church in a statement.

“As the governor noted, inflation is impacting the finances of individuals and their 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 Gov. Cox and the Utah Legislature in the next year on this proposal,” Church said.