By Matthew Kaufman
Former Editor-in-Chief
President Michael Bernstein and Interim Chief Financial Officer Richard Schweigert recommended a 4% tuition increase at the College’s annual tuition hearing on May 1, as the institution faces a possible reduction in state support.
Also proposed is a 4% increase in fees and a 2.69% increase in room & board costs. If approved, in-state tuition would increase $612 to $15,906, fees would increase $174 to $4,520 and room & board would increase $385 to $14,709. Out-of-state tuition would increase by $1,165 to $30,296.
“We do try and keep tuition as low as we can, but as you know, it’s hard in an environment where we’re very appreciative of what the state does for us, but it’s stagnant,” Schweigert said at the hearing, which was held during the May 1 Board of Trustees meeting, adding that the College is facing rising costs in payroll and other expenses.
The proposed increases must be approved by the Board of Trustees at a future meeting.
For the three years beyond FY2026, the tuition increase drops to 3% annually, the fees increase remains at 4%, while the room & board increase hovers around 2.42%.
In an interview with The Signal on May 7, Bernstein said increases to tuition were necessary in the face of lackluster state aid, adding that annual increases of 4% are on the low end of colleges across the state. The Board of Trustees at Rowan University, for example, approved a 4.5% increase to undergraduate tuition and a 6.7% increase to undergraduate fees for the next school year, according to The Whit, Rowan’s student newspaper.
“Believe me, nothing would be better than if you could declare one year (that) we’re holding tuition flat this year,” Bernstein said in the interview. “But, you know, at the moment we just can’t balance the budget if we do that.”
The president added that the administration knows tuition increases can be “a burden for students, so we want to try and limit that as much as we can.”
The increases to housing costs will be allocated for improvements to the College’s residence halls, and the administration will make a $10 million investment over five years to upgrade housing facilities, Schweigert said at the meeting. These include replacing the flooring in Ely, Allen and Brewster halls, and adding air conditioning to more residence halls, except for Travers and Wolfe, which would be too expensive.
Despite lackluster state aid, Schweigert said the College was on track to deliver a balanced budget for the next five years.
“Things are looking up,” the treasurer said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year reduces funding for higher education institutions across the state, and the College could see a $2 million decrease in base appropriations if his budget is enacted, Bernstein said at the meeting. The College is currently advocating for state legislators to restore the cuts proposed by the governor, and lawmakers have until June 30 to provide a finalized budget.
