At the most recent Board of Regents meeting, each three regent universities were given the green light to raise tuition for the 2025-2026 academic school year. In-state undergraduate tuition will raise in total by $265 and in-state and out-of-state graduate tuition will raise by $343. Out-of-state undergraduate tuition will raise $647. “Funding from the proposed tuition increases will help address growing financial challenges including inflationary cost increases, recruiting and retaining faculty and staff in national markets, health care, meeting collective bargaining terms, deferred maintenance needs in academic facilities, and student financial aid to provide higher education opportunities to more students,” detailed a report from the Board of Regents. Alongside tuition increases, UNI’s proposal for rental rates at the Quarters was also approved by the Board of Regents. The four person apartments will be billed at $6,180 a year per resident, compared to Panther Village’s $7,458 a year per resident. The Quarters’s rate does not include utilities beyond provided wireless internet.
With these increases, UNI will rank 7th amongst its peer institutions in tuition costs for in-state undergraduate students. UNI proposed a total increase of $37 in mandatory student fees. This increase is relegated to multiple different sectors, the Board describes as “Mandatory fees, charged to each student, provide a distinct resource to respond to specific needs of students.” $5 will go to an increase in technology fee, $8 will support the Student Health Center, $2 will support student activities, like the Campus Activities Board, $6.50 to intercollegiate athletics, $12 to building renewal needs, and $3.50 to recreation services.
In a report by the BOR, these increases are accredited to the rising cost of inflation. “Inflation impacts higher education in the same manner it affects other segments of the economy. While the Board determines tuition increases well in advance of the actual expenditure of funds, the Board consider inflation’s impact in evaluating tuition and fee rates. According to a report released by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 12, 2025, core inflation (which excludes food and energy due to their volatility) was 3.1% for the 12 months ending in February 2025…The Higher Education Price Index, designed specifically for use by higher education institutions and published annually on a fiscal year basis, rose 3.4% in FY 2024 according to the report released by the Commonfund Institute in December 2024,” the report from the Board of Regents said.
The BOR also approved the proposed tuition rate for UNI’s newly acquired property, formerly known as The Quarters. Rent will be set at $515 a month per resident, or $6,180 for a 12 month lease per resident. According to the UNI request, this rate does not include utilities outside of the internet. Quarters residents who renewed their lease prior to UNI’s purchase of the facility will continue to pay their previous rental rates, as agreed on by the university.
These rates will take effect at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, for both tuition and the new housing rates for the Quarters. For further information regarding tuition increases and rental rates at the Quarters, students can visit admissions.uni.edu/financialaid and uhd.uni.edu.
