ETSU board approves modest tuition and mandatory‑fee increase for 2023–24
April 21, 2023 | East Tennessee State University, Public Universities, School Districts, Tennessee
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The East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees on a voice vote approved a proposal to raise total tuition and mandatory fees for the main campus for the 2023–24 academic year, approving a 2.95% tuition increase and a 2.45% mandatory‑fee increase.
Kristy Graham, who presented the recommendation to the full board, described the request as constrained by state guidance and institutional priorities: "We are asking today for approval of the 2.95% tuition increase and the 2.45% mandatory fee increase as shown on page 8 in your agenda items," she said. The recommendation covers undergraduate and graduate students on the main campus and includes a $15 increase for new out‑of‑state students. Graham and staff estimated the proposal would generate about $2.9 million in additional revenue under a flat‑enrollment assumption and identified uses including the university's portion of a salary pool and wellness and promotion funding.
Board materials show the per‑student impact for a full‑time undergraduate as about $114 per semester in tuition and $24 per semester in fees. The university posted a public comment period before the board vote and reported 33 comments; 24 respondents opposed the increase citing student financial concerns.
Trustees discussed the materials in committee earlier in the day, and during the meeting Trustee Archer said he had reviewed the request and "I support it," noting he had fielded student questions and found the justification sound. The motion to adopt the recommendation was moved and seconded on the floor and carried by voice vote.
The board's action follows guidance from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, which proposed a 0%–3% bound for 2023–24 tuition and fee increases. The agenda packet indicates the commission is expected to vote on binding ranges in May. The board did not provide an effective date in the meeting record; implementation timing and any final adjustments will follow standard institutional and state approval steps.
Kristy Graham, who presented the recommendation to the full board, described the request as constrained by state guidance and institutional priorities: "We are asking today for approval of the 2.95% tuition increase and the 2.45% mandatory fee increase as shown on page 8 in your agenda items," she said. The recommendation covers undergraduate and graduate students on the main campus and includes a $15 increase for new out‑of‑state students. Graham and staff estimated the proposal would generate about $2.9 million in additional revenue under a flat‑enrollment assumption and identified uses including the university's portion of a salary pool and wellness and promotion funding.
Board materials show the per‑student impact for a full‑time undergraduate as about $114 per semester in tuition and $24 per semester in fees. The university posted a public comment period before the board vote and reported 33 comments; 24 respondents opposed the increase citing student financial concerns.
Trustees discussed the materials in committee earlier in the day, and during the meeting Trustee Archer said he had reviewed the request and "I support it," noting he had fielded student questions and found the justification sound. The motion to adopt the recommendation was moved and seconded on the floor and carried by voice vote.
The board's action follows guidance from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, which proposed a 0%–3% bound for 2023–24 tuition and fee increases. The agenda packet indicates the commission is expected to vote on binding ranges in May. The board did not provide an effective date in the meeting record; implementation timing and any final adjustments will follow standard institutional and state approval steps.
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