Michigan State University students are going to have to pay more for tuition starting this fall.
The Board of Trustees voted Friday to increase tuition by 4.5%. That means block tuition rates will go up about $400 per semester.
During the Board's meeting, Trustee Sandy Pierce said about a third of the $10-12 million raised through the rate increase will be allocated to financial aid.
“MSU has consistently increased university-funded financial aid in recent years, which has grown at an average of 7-8% annually, far outpacing any tuition increases,” Pierce said.
The Michigan Legislature sets an annual cap on tuition rate increases. If the 4.5% increase to tuition rates approved by Trustees is above the limit legislators set later this year, President Kevin Guskiewicz has been authorized to adjust MSU’s tuition rates accordingly.
The rate increase comes as the university also plans to cut 9% from each department’s budget. Pierce said both are a result of increased costs of employee healthcare, the effects of inflation and tariffs on operating costs like food and supplies and reduced income because of federal actions, with additional cuts possible in the state budget.
Trustees also voted to merge the Residential College of the Arts and Humanities with the College of Arts and Letters, saying the residential college had become financially unsustainable amid decreasing enrollment rates.
The residential college’s enrollment is down more than 50% since 2015.
Abigail Rodriguez is an RCAH student. She said she is skeptical of the university’s commitment to preserving the programming, culture and identity of the residential college once the merger is complete.
“The provost says that this is just a quote unquote administrative change. Okay, so prove it. Fight to preserve every space, every program, every value that makes RCAH what it is,” Rodriguez said. “Do not allow us to be swallowed by bureaucracy, and pretend it’s the same place.”
The merger is expected to take effect in July 2026, with RCAH becoming a department or school within the College of Arts and Letters.