Board of Regents approves 2025–26 operating budget, includes 5% tuition increase

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Wednesday approved the system’s 2025–26 operating budget, including a 5% tuition increase and more than $20 million in additional budget reductions, after a lengthy discussion about state funding, program consolidation and student affordability.

President Gold told the board the proposal pairs the tuition increase with targeted cuts and strategic investments: "The proposal we bring to the board today ... includes a 5% tuition increase and well more than $20,000,000 of additional cuts to our core budget that sit on top of more than a $100,000,000 of reductions over the last decade," he said. His remarks framed the administration’s view that the combination was necessary to preserve academic quality amid constrained state appropriations.

Board members questioned whether more cuts could avoid raising tuition and debated the fairness of shifting more of the university’s costs onto students. Some regents described the decision as painful but necessary to keep the university solvent; two regents recorded “no” votes. Student Regent Libby Wilkins spoke in favor of maintaining program quality: "I completely agree. I want my education to mean something and that means funneling money into our institution," she said.

Why it matters: The vote formalizes tuition and spending decisions that affect tens of thousands of students across the system and follows months of state budgeting that left the university with an appropriation below its inflation-driven request. The board’s action also signals…