Tuition freeze, early retirement incentives approved for Pa. state universities

Citing financial challenges families are facing in the coronavirus pandemic, officials with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education froze tuition for the second consecutive year.

The move is the first time in the state system’s 38-year history that it has frozen tuition two years in a row. Base tuition for state residents will remain at $7,716 a year at the 14-university system, which includes California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities in Western Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania will recover from this pandemic, and our outstanding universities will have a role in leading the recovery,” System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said, announcing the tuition freeze.

“To be a leader will take courage, and the Board showed that kind of courage today by choosing to be on the side of students and affordability. We will be here to educate the business, health care, education and community leaders of tomorrow by maintaining our place as the affordable higher education option for students of the Commonwealth,” he added.

The tuition freeze came as the State System, which has experienced an overall 20% decline in enrollment over the last decade, worked to realign the universities with state needs.

The State System oversight board, which approved the tuition freeze on Wednesday, also approved extending an early retirement program that 220 members of the faculty union opted into this year.

Officials said 460 additional employees covered by five collective bargaining agreements now are eligible for the early retirement program that provides an enhanced sick leave payout.