State higher education system requests funding to keep tuition frozen
Christopher Fiorentino, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s interim chancellor, said he will encourage the General Assembly to increase state funding to help keep tuition frozen for an eighth year.
Fiorentino testified before the state Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, Feb. 20, to request increased funding.
The system is requesting a state appropriation of $661.1 million. This would be an increase of $40.3 million, or 6.5%, over the current year, according to a Tuesday news release from PASSHE.
If approved, this would be the eighth straight year of tuition staying frozen for state schools, which include Slippery Rock University.
The news release said Fiorentino will thank Gov. Josh Shapiro for including the amount the system requested in his budget proposal and thank the General Assembly for supporting increased investment in the state system universities in recent years.
“Increased funding from the legislature and governor in recent years has helped PASSHE to keep tuition frozen since 2018. We appreciate the state’s strong support of PASSHE students and universities, and we are seeking an additional investment this year to enable us to freeze tuition again,” Fiorentino said in the release. “Affordability is critically important to students and families, and tuition freezes ultimately help our state to have a strong workforce to grow the economy.”
Carrie Birckbichler, Slippery Rock University’s vice president for finance and administration, said an increase in the state’s appropriation for education spending has allowed state universities to fund programs without increasing tuition.
“Slippery Rock University is grateful for Gov. Shapiro’s efforts to support state universities. The governor’s proposed $40.3 million across the system helps us balance our budget. Increases from the state also enable us to keep higher education affordable,” Birckbichler said.
The state system said it is prioritizing student affordability, particularly for Pennsylvania-born students, emphasizing that in-state undergraduate tuition has remained at $7,716 per year since 2018 “despite inflationary pressures throughout the economy.”
It claimed tuition, if it kept pace with inflation since 2018, would be 25% higher than it currently is.
“With more than 80,000 students, 90% of whom are from Pennsylvania, PASSHE universities have the most in-state students of any four-year college or university system in the state. More than 650,000 alumni live in Pennsylvania and contribute to their local communities and economies,” the system said in the news release.
Fiorentino will also highlight the state system's “upward trajectory,” focusing on areas like a stable enrollment, academic programs aligned to workforce needs and improved financial sustainability, according to the release.
However, the release also admits that Pennsylvania lacks in keeping up with the amount of young workers needed to fill shortages, and the state system is expanding options to address this predicament.
“Pennsylvania does not have enough traditional college-age students to fill worker shortages, so the state system is expanding options for people of all ages and career stages to quickly obtain new skills or earn increasingly advanced credentials throughout their professional lifetime, helping the state close workforce gaps,” Birckbichler said.
This is an area Birckbichler said the university is focused on, in addition to affordability during times of high inflation.
“Slippery rock has invested in academic programs that we and the Pennsylvania workforce needs,” Birckbichler said. “This includes education computer science, nursing, other social services. Each are expected to have job growth in Western Pennsylvania ranging from 2026-2030.”
