The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors voted Wednesday to freeze tuition at all state system universities for the upcoming academic year.
According to a tweet posted to PASSHE’s Twitter profile, this is the first time in its 38-year history that the Board of Governors has voted to freeze in-state tuition for a consecutive year. This occurs amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused some financial hardship for the entire state system.
The Board for the first time in its 38-year history froze basic in-state tuition for a consecutive year, even while confronting financial challenges brought on in part by the coronavirus pandemic. Release forthcoming. pic.twitter.com/feJeMUxnA4
— Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (@statesystem) April 29, 2020
In-state tuition for undergraduate students will remain at $7,716 for the 2020-21 academic year at all 14 state system universities, according to a press release posted to PASSHE’s website. The Board voted unanimously to freeze tuition and the system’s technology fee, which will remain at $478.
“We are united in believing that even under these historic, extraordinary circumstances, the State System must maintain its affordability and not pass the burden of these times onto our students,” Cindy Shapira, chair of the Board of Governors, said. “While the coronavirus has impacted so much of our society and economy, what remains the same is our mission to provide quality, affordable, accessible public higher education.”
Before this year, the Board of Governors only once — in the 1998-99 academic year — approved a year-to-year tuition freeze, but tuition has never been frozen for a consecutive year, according to the PASSHE press release.
“Pennsylvania will recover from this pandemic, and our outstanding universities will have a role in leading the recovery,” Chancellor Dan Greenstein said. “To be a leader will take courage, and the Board showed that kind of courage today by choosing to be on the side of students and affordability. We will be here to educate the business, healthcare, education, and community leaders of tomorrow by maintaining our place as the affordable higher education option for students of the Commonwealth.”
