University of Hawaii President David Lassner wants to freeze undergraduate tuition at all 10 campuses for three years and reduce graduate tuition at UH-Manoa, to attract more students and keep college affordable.

The proposal, which would take effect in the fall of 2020, will be considered by the UH Board of Regents at its meeting on Thursday at Windward Community College.

The goal is to maintain affordability and make the university more competitive with its peers, since enrollment has dropped as tuition has gone up, according to a presentation posted online in preparation for the meeting.

“Tuition at UH’s four-year institutions has risen above many of its peers, especially for non-residents,” Donald Straney, vice president for academic planning and policy, wrote in a memo to the board. “Decreases in tuition for UH Manoa graduate students, where rates have risen far above our peers, are proposed to improve our competitiveness and attractiveness.”

In January, the regents turned down a similar proposal that sought to keep undergraduate tuition flat and avoid planned 1% and 2% increases this fall. It also would have cut graduate tuition.

In the new plan, the administration seeks to reduce graduate tuition at UH-Manoa by 2 percent for residents and 10 percent for non-residents in 2020-21, then freeze those rates until 2023.

Under the current schedule, undergraduate tuition at UH-Manoa is projected at $11,304 annually for Hawaii residents and $33,336 for nonresidents in the 2019-20 academic year, with graduate tuition at $15,912 for residents and $37,392 for nonresidents.