University System of Maryland Board of Regents approves tuition, fee increase for 2021-2022 school year
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents approved a tuition and fee increase Wednesday for the coming school year for both in-state and out-of-state students.
Tuition for in-state undergraduates will increase by 2% for the 2021-2022 school year, while out-of-state undergraduates and graduate students’ tuition will be raised by 5%.
The increase comes at the request of USM presidents and was supported by Chancellor Jay A. Perman, one year after the university system implemented a tuition freeze for the 2020-2021 academic year due to the coronavirus.
“The proposed increase is reasonable,” Perman said during the meeting. “And [it] keeps a USM education competitive with that of our peer institutions, many of which didn’t grant a tuition freeze last year. And even with this increase, the system remains a very good value for the money.”
The system did receive $650 million in COVID relief funding from the federal government but said it was “one-time-only funding” used to “fill key, short-term gaps in priority areas.”
School officials said the increase is imperative for the universities to continue operating, citing a decline in enrollment and housing revenue and increased costs with safety protocols and measures. Without the tuition and fees increase, the system said it would be forced to reduce faculty and staff and cut scholarships, financial aid and some academic programs.
