Austin Peay trustees approve up to 5% tuition and mandatory fee increase for 2025–26

Austin Peay State University’s Business and Finance Committee approved a motion to allow the university to increase tuition and mandatory fees by up to 5% for the 2025–26 academic year.

Shahruz Arubhavar, vice president for finance and administration, told trustees the request is meant to “combat the university’s increased costs” and that the university proposes increasing tuition and mandatory fees by up to 5%. “This allows for the university to be nimble with the market demands and not fully utilize the allowed increase if not needed by the fall,” Arubhavar said. He said a five-year trailing average of increases would be about 2.7% per year and that, with the proposed increase, Austin Peay would remain the most affordable public university for in‑state undergraduate and graduate tuition in Tennessee among the public institutions referenced in the presentation.

Arubhavar outlined how the university plans to use the additional revenue: increases to the campus access fee to hire additional trade and maintenance staff and fund repairs; a higher graduation fee to support newly purchased software for diploma issuance and to enable bringing commencement photography in‑house and to create a replacement budget for computers and technology; an increase in a technology access fee to cover enterprise software license increases, classroom technology upgrades and to dedicate a portion for introducing AI technologies within academic programs; additional funding for University Health Services to attract and retain qualified professionals; and higher student athletic care costs for athletics. He also noted housing rates will remain flat and the out‑of‑state tuition differential will not increase.

Trustees discussed affordability and faculty retention before voting. Trustee Rowe said the university must remain competitive for faculty pay and described the proposed increase as a reluctant but necessary step: “I reluctantly vote for an increase, but it's necessary,” Rowe said. Other trustees stressed the university’s track record on affordability and the administration’s effort to mitigate impacts on students through scholarships and programs such as the university’s tuition‑free initiative for households under specified income thresholds (details given in trustees’ discussion were descriptive of the program and not specified as a new policy change at this meeting).

The committee approved the motion. In a roll call following discussion, trustees voted as recorded: Trustee Atkins — yes; Trustee Granada — yes; Trustee Jenkins — yes; Trustee McGinnis — yes; Trustee Roe — aye. The chair announced “5 ayes. Motion carries.”

The committee did not set specific per‑student dollar amounts in committee beyond the up‑to‑5% authorization; the administration indicated it will not necessarily use the full 5% if market conditions do not require it.