PROPOSED TUITION AND MANDATORY FEE INCREASE
AGENDA ITEM FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING ON JUNE 13, 2025
Pursuant to the Tennessee Tuition Transparency and Accountability Act, T.C.A. § 49-7-1603, the Tennessee State University Board of Trustees is providing public notice of its consideration of a proposed tuition and mandatory fee increase for the 2025-2026 academic year. The tuition and fee increase will be considered as an action item at the Board’s June 13, 2025, meeting.
Explanation for the Proposed Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increases
The combined total range of proposed tuition and mandatory fee increase being considered for the academic year 2025-2026 is between 4.0% and 6.5%. The breakdown of the increase is as follows:
- Undergraduate maintenance proposed fee (tuition) range of increase of between 4.0% and 6.5%.
- Base 12 hours proposed to increase from $307 per hour to an amount ranging between $319 to $327 per hour.
- Over base hours proposed to increase from $61 per hour to an amount ranging between $63 to $65 per hour.
- The range of 3.0% to 6.5% combined increase is derived from the proposed total tuition and mandatory fees that would be assessed for a student taking fifteen (15) credit hours in FY 25.
Purposes for Which the Revenue Derived from the Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increases Will be Used
Revenue derived from the tuition and mandatory fee increase will be used primarily for undergraduate maintenance, including to cover the cost of increased operating expenses.
Efforts to Mitigate the Effect of Tuition and Mandatory Fee Increases on Students
Tennessee State University makes reasonable efforts to mitigate the effect of tuition and fee increases on students:
- Tennessee State University’s undergraduate maintenance fee is one of the lowest among public universities in Tennessee.
- The range of proposed 4.0% to 6.5% undergraduate maintenance increase is within the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s (THEC) established tuition range (0%-6.5%) for the academic year 2025-2026.
The Board of Trustees considers the following factors when determining the necessity for a tuition and fees increase:
- Level of State support,
- Total cost of attendance,
- Efforts to mitigate the negative financial effect on students,
- THEC mandatory tuition and fee ranges,
- Inflationary costs,
- Tuition and fee levels at peer institutions and competing institutions,
- Student demand, and
- Other factors pertinent to the cost of the University’s operations and programs of study.
Individuals are invited to submit written comments about the proposed increase via email to the Board Secretary Ginette Brown (gbrown36@tnstate.edu), or by mail to Tennessee State University, Office of the General Counsel and Board Secretary, Suite 260, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville, TN 37209. All comments must be received by
June 11, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT.
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