Dive Brief:

• Rutgers University announced it has hired two additional cybersecurity firms to protect its networks.

• Officials said the university is expected to spend between $2 million and $3 million on cybersecurity this year.

• The university has cited growing cybersecurity costs as one of the reasons why it raised tuition and fees 2.3% for the 2015-16 school year.

Dive Insight:

Rutgers' computer network was disrupted four times during the 2014-2015 school year. School officials said the hacks appeared to be related.

Hackers have also targeted the University of Connecticut, Penn State's engineering school and UCLA in the past year.

Attacks on universities appear to be on the upswing, which may result in more universities raising tuition as a means of covering the cost of additional protection from cybercriminals.