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The University of Nebraska schools will freeze tuition for a second straight year.
The Board of Regents voted unanimously to pass next year’s proposed budget Thursday morning, which includes operating budgets for all four university campuses: University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
NU system President Ted Carter said the tuition freeze and budget will keep higher education affordable when inflationary pressures are squeezing Nebraskans' bank accounts.
"I will tell you: This puts us in rare company," Carter said just before the vote. "Lots of institutions froze tuition for one year during the pandemic, but we’re doing it for two straight years – for every single student."
Overall, the budget increased spending by 1.3%. Carter said the budget, despite its conservative nature, will make key investments – like expanding the Nebraska Promise program, which covers tuition for students with family incomes below $65,000. It will also include greater investments for more mental health resources across the campuses.
"It has never been a better time to be a student at the University of Nebraska," said Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln. "Keeping tuition rates low and increases small and predictable is the hallmark of good management."
Among other items, the regents voted to create a Data Science undergrad degree at UNL. It will be the fourth data science program in the Big Ten and open fall 2022.