MSU Among Universities with No Tuition Increase

Students at five Kentucky universities, including Murray State University, will not face any tuition hikes this fall.

The state Council on Postsecondary Education announced the news Friday as part of a strategic effort to maintain college affordability during COVID-19. 

While the Council did not cap tuition for the 2020-21 academic year, CPE has strongly encouraged campuses to limit increases as students grapple with financial fallout from the pandemic.

Institutions that abstained from raising rates included Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University. The “no hikes” approach applies to resident and non-resident undergraduates and resident and non-resident graduate students at these campuses.

Kentucky State University also received approval to decrease tuition for non-resident undergraduate students by 37.6% – a $7,450 reduction – and Murray State has announced plans to lower its rates for some non-resident students who enroll for the first time this summer or in the fall.

Budget officials from the five universities and CPE estimate that forgoing increases in tuition will contribute to revenue shortfalls in 2020-21, which could range from $2.4 million to $16 million depending on the campus. Fixed and unavoidable costs are expected to grow across the system.

The Council also approved a plan for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to increase rates by $5 per credit hour for resident undergraduates and $10 per credit hour for non-residents. That will boost revenues by about $2.5 million; however, fixed costs at KCTCS are expected to increase by nearly $30 million next year.

The University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University were still finalizing tuition proposals as of today’s Council meeting. The Council has authorized its Finance Committee to review and approve those proposals in July.

The Council also approved six new academic programs, including:

Western Kentucky University - Bachelor of Science in environmental, sustainability and geographic studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film production.

University of Louisville - Bachelor of Science in business administration and Master of Science in materials and energy science and engineering.

Murray State University - Bachelor of Science in respiratory therapy and Bachelor of Science in general studies.