SRU trustees forego tuition increase
Slippery Rock University students will not pay more for tuition in the 2022-23 school year.
The university’s council of trustees voted in a virtual special meeting Monday to rescind a proposed 2% tuition increase because the recently passed 2022-23 state budget provides additional funding to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and negates the need for an increase, trustees said.
The proposed tuition hike was forwarded to the state system chancellor on Dec. 10.
Bill Behre, SRU president, said the school was prepared to freeze tuition if the legislature came through with an increase in funding in the budget. The budget includes a $200 million investment in student tuition and has allocated an additional $75 million for the state system.
“It was necessary, it was a real investment into the commonwealth,” Behre said. “If we didn't get the funding from commonwealth, we were trying to come up with the best way to survive. Now we are looking at how to thrive.”
Tuition has remained flat since 2019. The trustees’ vote Monday means SRU's tuition will remain the same for four straight years.
Behre also said the proposed tuition increase also likely would have caused the university to change plans for the upcoming school year
“We would have had to cut things that would have really affected the student experience,” he said.
Trustees president Domenic Ionta said that university students are benefiting from the budget increase.
"This was a necessary move to pass along the state's support for higher education to make tuition costs as affordable as possible for the students and their families," Ionta said. "The decision last year was tough, but it anticipated similar state appropriations compared to previous years. We're pleased and thankful to have more funding than expected, which makes Monday's action by the trustees an easy decision."
The trustees will meet again in-person Sept. 22 and 23 at SRU's Smith Student Center for their quarterly business meetings.
