LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is set to consider a proposed 4.25% tuition increase when it meets June 18 to review the university system’s 2026-27 budget.
The spending plan covers the second year of the current biennium. University officials say the proposed increase is aimed at helping offset rising costs tied to inflation.
NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said tuition increases are not taken lightly, but said the budget is designed to protect the university’s academic quality while continuing support for scholarships.
Gold said the plan maintains and strengthens need-based and merit-based scholarship programs while helping the university continue to offer an education that remains affordable compared to peer institutions.
The proposed increase follows a 5% systemwide tuition hike approved last year and a 3.5% increase in 2024. According to the university system, tuition rates were frozen from 2020 through 2024 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new fiscal year begins July 1. The university is also expected to receive a 0.621% increase in state appropriations to its base budget, while seeing a $5 million reduction in biomedical research funding.
Other items on the regents’ agenda include approval of the president’s recommendation to name H. Dele Davies, M.D., as chancellor of UNMC, major renovations to the Selleck Quadrangle housing complex and Dining Hall, a custodial services contract with ABM Industry Groups for Husker Athletics, and a planned proposal for a systemwide institute focused on advanced artificial intelligence.