State's higher education system freezes tuition for fifth year in a row
HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education froze tuition for the coming year at all its universities.
As KDKA-TV money editor Jon Delano explains, officials credited bipartisan support from the legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro for enabling this to happen.
For the fifth consecutive year, universities in the PASSHE system will have their in-state student tuition frozen at roughly $7,700 a year. Locally, that includes the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock and Penn West with its California, Clarion, and Edinboro campuses.
"It is the genuine honor and a privilege for the fifth year in a row to recommend that the board does not increase tuition," said PASSHE Chancellor Daniel Greenstein at Thursday's meeting.
Shortly thereafter, the board of the state's higher education system voted unanimously to freeze tuition during the coming school year.
"The ability to do this is something of which we are very, very proud. It speaks directly to our mission," said PASSHE board chair Cynthia Shapira.
The freeze was made possible by a $33 million hike, or 6 percent increase, in dollars from the governor and General Assembly. But Greenstein warned that state funding only accounts for a third of the budget, requiring the state schools to innovate to attract more tuition-paying students.
"It's actually growth, enrollment growth in particular, that will drive revenue. And that growth can be accomplished in two ways. One of them is obviously getting more students – students who are not attending higher education or who are attending other institutions of higher education – but also in ensuring that the students we do have stick around," Greenstein said.
Even though Greenstein says PASSHE schools are the least expensive in the state, student enrollment is down at all universities and colleges, sometimes by as much as 30 percent. Freezing tuition at PASSHE schools while Pitt, Penn State and others keep going up may help, but it also makes schools like Penn West, Slippery Rock and IUP affordable to more Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds.
"Our schools do not use affirmative action and yet they are representative of the people of Pennsylvania. That is our privilege. It is our mission," said Greenstein.
"Even the smallest tuition increases can keep higher ed where some cannot afford to do it, especially lower income families. I just think it's wonderful that we're going to do a freeze again for the fifth year in a row," said board member Rep. Brad Roae.
For some PASSHE schools, it's not too late to apply for admission this fall.
