Penn State trustees approve increase to room and board rates. Here’s what students will pay
Living and eating at Penn State’s flagship campus is set to get more expensive.
The university’s benchmark room and board rate for the 2021-22 academic year is scheduled to increase $203 per semester when compared to the previous year’s rates under a plan approved Tuesday by the board of trustees.
The cost of a standard double room is set to increase $136 per semester to $3,563. A mid-level meal plan would increase by $67 per semester to $2,516.
Both are the most common options on campus. The total semester room and board rate for the academic year is set to be $6,079. It’s a 3.45% increase over the university’s 2020-21 rates.
John Papazoglou, Penn State’s associate vice president for auxiliary and business services, said the increases were necessary to meet rising costs in operations and facilities maintenance.
“Since the start of the pandemic, housing and food services has really done a great job providing care and comfort to students across the commonwealth during a very uncertain time,” Papazoglou said. “I’m very proud of the work of our team, and we are looking forward to continuing to serve our students this coming fall.”
Penn State’s room and board rates for the 2020-21 academic year were in line with the Big Ten average. The university’s price tag of $11,752 was eighth among the conference’s 14 schools.
Penn State projected 90% occupancy at University Park for the upcoming fall semester, followed by 85% occupancy in the spring semester, Papazoglou said.
“This is a departure from pre-COVID years, when we typically begin the fall semester at nearly 100% at University Park,” Papazoglou said. “While we’re expecting significant recovery in 2021-22, we do not expect to see a return to pre-COVID numbers until the following year.”