SALEM — Salem State University’s board of trustees has voted unanimously to freeze undergraduate tuition and fees for the academic year beginning in the fall of 2021, a move that breaks with a general trend of rising higher education costs.
“As our students and their families struggle amid the pandemic economy, this is one important way in which we can help make it possible for students to complete their degrees despite the many challenges COVID-19 has brought,” said SSU President John Keenan.
“Student success is our top priority and as we plan for the next academic year, we want to do everything we can to remove and prevent financial barriers on the way to graduation.”
The move marks a departure from trends at the university, along with what has been seen at the state and national levels.
Last year saw steady increases in course fees for SSU students. According to SSU Director of Public Relations Nicole Giambusso, tuition and fees have not been kept frozen like this for at least the last 20 years.
Across the nation, public four-year in-state tuition generally increased 1.1 percent this past year to $10,560, or $120 higher than in the 2019-20 school year, while private nonprofit four-year tuition increased by 2.1 percent, according to College Board data.
Between 2001 to 2016, the state had some of the highest public higher education tuition and fee increases in the nation, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MBPC).
Between fiscal year 2001 and FY2019, the average per student tuition and fees for public campuses in the state increased by approximately $6,100 (adjusted for inflation), according to the MBPC.
These increases come alongside a decrease in state funding for higher education, with per-pupil higher education funding decreasing by $2,790 (adjusted for inflation) over that same period.
“When state funding declines, or is not sufficient to cover rising costs, public colleges and universities make up for their bruised budgets by increasing tuition and fees,” writes Anastasia Martinez in the MBPC article “Bruised Budgets: A Higher Education Funding History Lesson For An Antiracist Future.”
“Shifting the cost of higher education from the state budget onto students has contributed to a higher education affordability crisis, which particularly hits low-income students and students of color.”
At least for the time being, Salem State University will hold those state and national trends at bay.
Tuition and mandatory fees will remain the same for both in-state and out-of-state undergraduate residential and commuting students, the university reports. Housing and dining at SSU for the next fiscal year will also remain the same except for multiple-occupancy rooms, which were not in use this academic year.
“I was really appreciative of the university’s sensitivity to its students’ financial situations,” said Meghan Miraglia, a sophomore majoring in English and education.
Miraglia said she chose to attend Salem State because of the quality of its education program and the comparative affordability of the college. She also serves as an ambassador and tour guide for the school and hopes that the tuition freeze will help prospective students see the university’s willingness to accommodate them.
“If I were going back to school in the fall, I’d be happy about it,” said Alaina Gridley, a senior nursing major. “But my fear would just be that next year they would be bringing it back more.”
Gridley feels that the cost of college is getting more expensive each year, and became a commuter instead of living on campus for her sophomore year in order to make up for the high tuition cost.
“I think it makes a lot of students rethink their college experience,” said Gridley of the high price tag on a college education. “There’s definitely ways they can make college more affordable.”
SSU’s tuition and fees are currently $11,675 for full-time undergraduate day students living off-campus and $25,486 for full-time undergraduate students living on campus in residence halls and participating in the dining program. The total cost per credit for evening undergraduate courses also remains the same at $439.70 per credit for in-state students.
Salem State students will also benefit from $3.256 million in financial assistance from the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have worked one-on-one with students and families whose financial circumstances have evolved due to COVID-19,” said Bonnie Galinski, SSU interim vice president for enrollment management and marketing.
“Our goal is always to do what we can to meet students’ financial needs so that they can achieve what they came to our campus for: to graduate and launch their careers through the opportunities provided by a Salem State degree.”
