Penn State increases tuition for 2nd straight year — but not for families making under $75K
Despite some push-back from alumni-elected trustees, Penn State is moving forward with a tuition hike for the 2022-2023 academic year — although officials promised that students with families making less than $75,000 would not see an increase.
The university’s board of trustees voted 26-6 Friday to approve a 5% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students at University Park and a 6% tuition increase for out-of-state/graduate students for the upcoming school year. For the average in-state undergrad at University Park, that amounts to a $918 annual increase for a total of $19,286 in tuition and fees. For typical out-of-state students at the flagship campus, the cost would become $38,102, an increase of $2,156. (Commonwealth campuses would see smaller increases that are fully outlined at the bottom of this story.)
Those opposed to the increase included six of the nine alumni-elected trustees: Edward “Ted” Brown, Barry Fenchak, Alvin de Levie, Anthony Lubrano, Jay Paterno and Alice Pope. Only one alumni-elected trustee, Brandon Short, spoke publicly in support of the increase.
“I understand that people are struggling to make ends meet — and everything, from a gallon of gas to a quart of milk, is really expensive — and I feel their pain because we all feel it,” Short said. “But, if we continue to cut, it will have a negative effect on the quality of a Penn State education.
“Reasonable people can disagree on what’s in the best interests of the university. And I’m an alumni-elected trustee and my goal is to reduce the financial burden on our students. But what I cannot do, in good conscience, is make a ‘no’ vote in protest for a political — or for whatever — reason when I don’t believe it’s in the best interests of the university.”
Due to inflationary pressures, pandemic-related revenue losses, lower enrollment and a number of other factors, Penn State operated at nearly a $200 million deficit last year. The state legislature also, earlier this month, rejected the university’s request for an additional $12.1 million toward its general appropriation, which helps off-set the cost of in-state tuition.
Pennsylvania annually ranks among the worst states in the country for per-capita support of higher education.
“We were surprised a bit by the state’s flat funding, and that kind of came to us at the last minute and sort of threw things into a tizzy,” Fenchak said during Friday’s trustees meeting at Penn State York. “Unfortunately, I think the knee-jerk reaction was that we have to raise tuition — and I think, perhaps, the knee-jerk reaction should’ve been we need to get to work on the things we should’ve been doing for the last 10 years and light a little bit of a fire underneath our behinds to get a little more aggressive with cost control and being more efficient.”
With the hike, Penn State solidifies its status as one of the most expensive non-private schools in the nation for in-state students. In December, U.S. News & World Report ranked Penn State as the ninth-most expensive in that category, finishing behind both Pitt and Temple. Penn State’s tuition increase also dwarfed Pennsylvania’s other state-related universities, though the land-grant university receives less funding per-student. Temple trustees approved a 3.9% increase across the board, while Pitt raised the price 3.5% for in-state students and 5.5% for those out-of-state.
Penn State’s tuition increase also ranked as the steepest hike among non-private schools in the Big Ten. Ohio State’s increase of 4.6% is the second-highest, while three Big Ten schools didn’t raise such tuition at all — Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin.
“As Brandon said, this is not anything that we’re excited about doing — but it’s something that’s necessary,” said board vice chair David Kleppinger, adding he disagreed with Fenchak’s “knee-jerk reaction” characterization.
According to officials, Penn State’s hope is that any increase is tempered by the fact that students whose families earn less than $75,000 will not see their tuition costs rise. University President Neeli Bendapudi, who officially took over in May, said during a Thursday committee meeting that roughly half of Pennsylvania’s families made about $63,000 or less, meaning a significant number of students shouldn’t face the tuition hike.
The university was able to promise no increases for that group by contributing $14 million in financial aid to off-set the increase. Students can qualify as long as they filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
“I wanted to say that, as an out-of-state University Park student myself, I’m in no way ever probably going to be in favor of a tuition increase,” student trustee Janiyah Davis said. “But I do recognize and really appreciate the work that’s gone into this proposal. And I understand this is, in my opinion, what is best for our university at this moment.
“However, I have great concerns about the sustainability of this and what this means for our students and their families moving forward. So I look forward to continued conversation and efforts to find ways to accommodate in some other way.”
Penn State raised tuition last year, 2.5% for in-state undergrads and 2.75% for out-of-state/graduate students. Prior to that, tuition costs held steady for three consecutive academic years.
Classes in the fall semester start Aug. 22.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 1:47 PM.
