Temple raises tuition more than 4% for Pennsylvania and out-of-state residents

With another enrollment drop expected this fall, Temple University’s board of trustees Tuesday voted to raise tuition by more than 4%.

The increases will apply to both undergraduate and graduate students and both in-state and out-of-state students, with out-of-state students paying a slightly larger increase.

In-state students, who make up the majority of Temple’s enrollment, will pay a base tuition of $17,979 for next year, up from $17,136. Actual tuition increases vary by school and major, with students on average facing about a 4.2% hike, said Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer. Out-of-state students will pay a base tuition of $32,376, up from $30,864.

» READ MORE: Temple University to raise tuition 3.9% for 2022-23

Fees also will rise by $44, to $968.

Like many other universities, Temple continues to face enrollment challenges. Temple’s enrollment this fall is projected to drop from last year by about 2,800 students or 8%, to just under 31,000 undergraduates and graduate students, Kaiser said. That’s a larger percentage drop than 2022, when enrollment fell 6.4%. Since 2019, before the pandemic, enrollment has fallen more than 20%.

“We understand the stresses on students and their families and we want to provide an affordable education,” Kaiser said, explaining the tuition increase. “But there is only so much you can cut.”

The increases come after the university held tuition rates flat during two of the past four years, in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Temple president Jo Anne A. Epps acknowledged the enrollment decrease at the board meeting, but said the university was taking steps to deal with it.

“We’re not going out of business,” she said. “We’re not going to close. We just have to belt tighten, and we have to be very careful about what we can prioritize and what we can’t.”

Temple isn’t alone in raising tuition. The University of Pennsylvania announced in March that it was increasing tuition and other costs 4%. Rutgers University this week said its tuition and fees for 2023-24 would go up 6%, while meal costs would go up 7% and housing 5%.

Temple also is increasing the cost of meals by 5.5% on average and rooms by 3.47%.

Graduate students at Temple will face tuition increases of 4.4% on average for in-state students and 4.6% on average for out-of-state, Kaiser said.

Temple’s decision comes while state funding for the university remains in limbo. The state legislature has yet to approve any funding for the four so-called state-related universities, which also are Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lincoln.

Funding for the state-related universities requires a two-thirds majority vote, and Republican lawmakers have been pushing for more transparency from the schools, which currently are not fully subject to Pennsylvania’s Right to Know law. Lawmakers also have called for the universities to freeze tuition.

» READ MORE: What you need to know about the Pa. budget impasse

Universities may have to wait until the fall to know how much money they will be receiving from the state. The Senate isn’t scheduled to return to session until Sept. 18, and the House just scheduled its next session for Sept. 26.

State funding is critical to supporting the universities’ budgets.

“Ultimately the state appropriation is used to provide a tuition discount for [Pennsylvania] residents students, about $13,000 per student,” Kaiser said. “If we receive no state funding, that discount goes away.”

If the state provides flat funding, which would mean Temple would receive a basic appropriation of $158.2 million for the fifth consecutive year, it would not impact the tuition increases approved, Kaiser said. (Temple got a one-time 5% boost in funding through federal stimulus dollars last year.)

Even if the legislature were to grant an increase in funding, it likely would not impact tuition, Kaiser said. Temple is planning to cut $57 million from its $1.2 billion spending plan. A funding increase would lessen the cuts, he said.

“We are looking at a lot of vacancies, attrition, and other selected cuts,” Kaiser said.

Penn State’s board is scheduled to meet next week to talk about its budget, including tuition.

“We are disappointed with the outcome of the House vote, as this funding directly supports Penn State’s discounted in-state tuition rate, which thousands of Pennsylvania students and their families rely on each year,” the university said in a statement. “With an enrollment of more than 40,000 Pennsylvania resident students across 20 undergraduate campuses, we look forward to continued conversations with lawmakers about how this funding represents an investment in our young people, our communities, and the commonwealth’s long-term economic prosperity.”

Lincoln University, a historically Black university, also is awaiting a decision on state funding.

“As the first degree-granting HBCU in the country, Lincoln University is all about creating opportunity for students through education, and that opportunity is hanging in the balance,” said president Brenda Allen. “We’re closely managing our budget and watching the conversation in the legislature as it unfolds.”

The board of governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), which oversees 10 state universities, including West Chester and Cheyney, also will meet next week and plans to address tuition. The current budget bill includes a 6%, or $33 million, increase in basic funding for the system, though it, too, is tied up until the final budget is sent to the governor.

The system had requested about $132 million in new funding — including a 3.8% increase in basic funding, or $21 million — and another $112 million, most of it for direct financial aid to students enrolled in careers with employee shortages.

If the budget is signed, PASSHE would receive $585.6 million in basic state funding, up from $552.5 million last year. That follows a sizable increase from the year before. In the last two fiscal years, the state will have increased PASSHE’s funding by $108 million, or nearly 23%, if the spending plan passes.

The state also plans to provide $65 million to alleviate universities’ debt load, on top of another $175 million that was provided over the prior two years, according to the system.

State system Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said through a spokesperson that given the level of support, he will recommend to the board that it freeze tuition for in-state students for an unprecedented fifth consecutive time, which would keep tuition the same for six years. If approved, students would pay $7,716 in tuition again.

“The state system is incredibly appreciative to the General Assembly and Gov. Shapiro for their strong commitment to PASSHE universities and our 85,000 students,” Greenstein said.

Staff writer Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.