House Passes Bill To Raise Out-Of-State Tuition By 10%

Students from other states would have to dig deeper into their wallets to attend Washington’s largest universities under a measure approved Thursday by the state House.

The House voted 95-1 to allow the University of Washington and Washington State University to boost tuition for non-resident undergraduates by a little more than 10 percent this fall.

That could put annual tuition for out-of-state students at $9,491, up from $8,599 now. Undergraduates who are Washington residents currently pay $3,021 a year.

Sponsors said that even with the proposed increases, tuition at state universities will remain low compared with what other states charge.

With space in universities growing scarcer due to population growth, Washington residents need to come first, lawmakers said.

The lone dissenter was Rep. Bob Basich, D-Aberdeen, who offered an amendment to protect currently enrolled students from the increases. The amendment was rejected.

The Senate has been considering a similar proposal.