Testifying on Tuesday before a joint legislative appropriations committee, Chancellor Erroll Davis Jr. said the Regents would need to boost tuition by 30 percent to completely replace the lost state funds. But Davis cautioned tuition would not rise that high and officials would look to make cuts.

University officials say that for the first time in recent memory, the state won't be funding formula growth driven by rising enrollment. That means the loss of $177 million to pay for some 19,000 additional students already in the system.