Pa. state universities plan for another tuition freeze, but postponed decision waiting for budget

The board overseeing Pennsylvania’s state universities postponed a decision on setting tuition for 2024-25 until the state’s budget was finalized.

But Cynthia Shapira, chair of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors, said on Thursday morning the system is hoping for a sixth consecutive year to freeze tuition for in-state undergraduate students, who make up nearly 90% of the 82,688-student system.

“The investment in PASSHE that has continued in recent years has enabled us to freeze tuition since 2018, and of course, we have indications that budget negotiations are going in such a way that we can continue this,” Shapira said at a meeting Thursday.

» READ MORE: Attention Pa. state students: Your tuition costs will remain the same for another year

The system has asked for a 6.5%, or $38.1 million, increase in state funding, raising the appropriation to $623.7 million.

The legislature on Thursday afternoon unveiled and were expected to send to Gov. Shapiro’s desk by end of day for approval budget documents that show a 6%, or $35.1 million, increase for the system. A system spokesperson declined to comment.

Also new for PASSHE is a program that, beginning in 2025-26, will allow it to attract more out-of-state students to the system. Under the Grow Pennsylvania Merit Scholarship program, the system could charge in-state tuition for first-time, out-of-state freshmen who are enrolled in an approved program and agree to work in Pennsylvania after graduation.

They must maintain adequate academic progress and agree to work in the state one year for each year they receive a scholarship. The state system estimates it would need 300 students to break even, and if it doesn’t get that number, the state would make up the difference, according to budget documents.

State system Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said at the morning meeting that he hopes to be able to recommend a tuition freeze to the board at a special meeting once the state budget is complete. If that happens, students again would pay annual tuition of $7,716, the same as they have paid since 2018-19.

“For our students, it’s a great thing,” he said. “And for our universities, it’s a great thing.”

While the system’s board sets the tuition rate for in-state undergraduates, individual universities decide on graduate and out-of-state undergraduate tuition rates, as well as room, board and mandatory fees. Following a vote of the PASSHE board Thursday, universities also beginning in fall 2025 will be able to set their technology fee; that had previously been set by the board.

The system includes: Cheyney, West Chester, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Millersville, Indiana, Slippery Rock, Commonwealth, and PennWest Universities.

Staff writer Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.