By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
At its June meeting, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) board approved a recommendation to raise undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for resident students by $420 for the 2025-2026 school year, at three of the regional public universities.
• At Eastern Kentucky University, this action will increase base undergraduate resident tuition and fees from $10,020 to $10,440, or by 4.2 percent. This revenue will offset a projected 3.8 percent increase ($10.3 million) in fixed costs.
• At Murray State University, this raises base undergraduate resident tuition and fees from $9,900 to $10,320, or by 4.2 percent. This revenue will offset a projected 4.6 percent increase ($9.1 million) in fixed costs.
• At Western Kentucky University, this means an increase in base undergraduate resident tuition and fees from $11,452 to $11,872, or by 3.7 percent. Despite this increase, anticipated revenue is projected to decrease by $326,000. However, fixed costs also are projected to decrease by 1.3 percent ($3.2 million).
The tuition and fee hikes were made in accordance with CPE’s tuition parameters. The university boards approved these increases prior to CPE board approval.
CPE’s parameters, which were announced in April, permit only limited increases in undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for resident students during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years.
They include:
• The state’s research universities, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, cannot raise resident tuition and mandatory fees more than $675 over the next two academic years. The maximum increase allowed in one year is $450, limiting the other year’s increase to $225.
• The state’s regional public universities – Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University – cannot raise resident tuition and mandatory fees more than $630 over the next two academic years. The maximum increase allowed in any one year is $420, limiting the other year’s increase to $210.
• Kentucky Community and Technical College System institutions cannot raise resident tuition and mandatory fees more than $9 per credit hour over the next two academic years. The maximum increase allowed in any one year is $6 per credit hour, with a $3 per credit hour increase in the other year.