Penn State increases tuition costs for some, not all, students

Penn State University’s board of trustees approved a tuition increase of 5% for in-state University Park undergraduates and 2% for their commonwealth campus counterparts.

That’s the university’s largest tuition hike in 12 years, but it comes with a caveat: In-state and out-of-state students who have a household income of $75,000 or less and who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid will not see a tuition increase.

About 20,000 students could benefit from the tuition freeze, which will appear as an “access grant” on their billing statement, according to Penn State spokesman Wyatt DuBois. A 2017 study by the New York Times found that the median family income of a Penn State student at that time was $101,800.

During the 2021-22 academic year, Penn State tuition was about $18,898 for in-state University Park undergrads and about $15,586 for in-state commonwealth campus undergrads.

After the tuition hike, University Park in-staters will pay $918 more for two semesters in 2022-23.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania residents at the Greater Allegheny, New Kensington, Beaver and Fayette campuses will pay $272 more for two semesters.

Out-of-state tuition costs will increase by 6% at University Park and 3% at the commonwealth campuses. World Campus undergrads will see a 5% increase.

The board approved the tuition rate in a 26-6 vote, with several members expressing frustration or disagreement with the hike.

University officials have attributed this year’s climb to inflation rates and a third consecutive year of flat funding from the state.

“I understand that people are struggling to make ends meet… and I feel their pain because we all feel it, but if we continue to cut, it will have a negative effect on the quality of a Penn State education,” said trustee Brandon Short during Friday’s meeting.

Penn State also increased tuition during the 2021-22 year after freezing it for three years.

In the 2022-23 state budget, Gov. Tom Wolf unsuccessfully proposed a 5% increase in state funding to Penn State and its fellow state-related universities. Penn State was again allotted over $242 million in general support funding, which is used to provide tuition discounts for in-state students.

During Friday’s meeting, the board also approved a 2.5% salary increase for most Penn State employees.

The tuition and salary increases fall in line with many other universities across the country.

Last week, the University of Pittsburgh announced it would increase tuition by 3.5% for in-state undergrads at the Oakland campus and by 2% for in-state and out-of-state students at Pitt’s four regional campuses.

Pitt will boost salaries by 4.25%.