State System of Higher Education votes to freeze tuition for third consecutive year
HARRISBURG, PA – The Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education on Thursday took the historic step of freezing basic in-state tuition for a third consecutive year. A state system release said the decision affirms the system commitment to keeping public higher education at its 14 universities affordable for students during the ongoing pandemic. Lock Haven University is among the 14 state-owned schools.
The Board’s unanimous vote keeps basic in-state tuition for undergraduate students in the 2021-22 academic year at $7,716. Also remaining the same will be the System’s technology fee for students, which stands at $478 for the academic year.
“I am proud to join my fellow Board members in prioritizing an accessible, affordable public higher education for our students,” said Cindy Shapira, chair of the Board of Governors. “A quality education and an affordable one go hand-in-hand at our universities. Students deserve our full support as they continue focusing on attaining a degree through the pandemic.”
Never before has the State System kept year-to-year basic in-state tuition the same for three years, something Chancellor Dan Greenstein pointed to as essential to fulfilling public higher education’s mission.
“Sixty percent of jobs in Pennsylvania require a post-secondary degree, but only 47 percent of Pennsylvanians have one,” he said. “To help Pennsylvania build a modern-day economy, to remain a reliable pathway for students into and beyond the middle class, to ensure every Pennsylvanian who wants can access quality higher education, we must take bold action like today’s vote on tuition.”
Meanwhile the PSSHE board has set Wednesday, April 28 at 8:30 a.m. for a public meeting to consider university integrations plans. Board approval of the proposal would initiate a 60-day public comment period. As part of the proposal, Lock Haven University would be “integrated” into a northeastern Pennsylvania set-up comprised of Bloomsburg and Mansfield universities, along with LHU.
That meeting will be conducted via remote technology in accordance with the social distancing guidance set forth by the Commonwealth during the current COVID-19 public health crisis. The meeting will be webcast live at the state system site and recorded for viewing later.
