University of Minnesota students are bracing for yet another rise in tuition

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents wraps up its regular meeting Friday while considering a 3.8% tuition increase across the system's five campuses.

"Affordability is top of mind, for me and my administration and certainly for our board," University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News this week. "The University of Minnesota is still, especially for our low and middle income families, is the most affordable four-year institution in the state of Minnesota. Our tuition that we're proposing this year would have us still be, when you adjust for inflation, lower than tuition was a decade ago, and we're very proud of that."

The University has hiked tuition for undergrads in each of the last five years.

School administrators say the tuition increase is needed because of stagnant state funds, inflation, and rising employee benefit costs.

Cunningham notes that the 3.8% tuition increase is under the inflation rate, which was reported to be 4.2% earlier this week.

"It's especially difficult for us to provide that option given that there's been declining state support across the country, but certainly here in Minnesota as well," Cunningham added. "We've prioritized keeping that tuition to under inflation, and around about that amount for this year. And again, we're committed to being accessible for families of all income levels while delivering a top-notch quality education."

The proposal is scheduled for a final vote on June 26 as part of the University's broader operating budget package for fiscal year 2027.

"We know in the state of Minnesota, the numbers show that more than 50% of jobs will require a 4-year degree over the next decade," Cunningham explains. "And we have the ability to really prepare that workforce for the state of Minnesota and to do it at an affordable world-class, manner."

The University's proposed budget for fiscal '27 includes $44 million in cuts.