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University of Nebraska board approves 2026–27 operating budget with CPI-based tuition adjustment
Summary
The Board of Regents approved the university's 2026–27 operating budget, including a CPI-based tuition adjustment averaging 4.25% that university officials say will generate roughly $24 million; the measure passed after extensive debate and two no votes on affordability concerns.
The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska approved the system'wide 2026'27 operating budget on June 18, voting to authorize a CPI-tied tuition adjustment averaging 4.25% and a budget plan university leaders say balances modest revenue gains with $8 million in campus reductions.
President Jeffrey Gold told regents the proposal "will allow us to maintain all of our need-based existing tuition remission scholarship programs," and said the budget also preserves mandated tuition remission programs and the Nebraska Promise program for low-income families.
Regents and university leaders framed the vote as a difficult trade-off. The university estimates a 0.62% increase in state appropriations and expects the tuition adjustment to generate about $24 million, a figure several regents said effectively shifts a large portion of the revenue burden to students and families.
Board members debated the proposal for more than an hour. Some regents urged continued scrutiny of fee and auxiliary fund allocations and pressed for clearer state support for legislative tuition mandates. Multiple regents said they supported the plan reluctantly because it preserves critical scholarship and program continuity; others said the increase risks pricing some students out of attendance.
The motion to adopt the budget passed on a roll-call vote; two regents voted no. The board'record shows Regent Schaefer and Regent Wilmont cast "no" votes on the operating budget measure.
The board noted next steps include forwarding the approved budget to state administrative processes and continuing discussions with campus and philanthropic partners about revenue, program priorities and long-term affordability measures.
The board'meeting record indicates the operating budget was extensively reviewed by both the academic affairs and business and finance committees before the full-board vote.
What happens next: University leadership will implement the budget in the coming fiscal year and monitor enrollments, scholarship use and fee allocations. Regents said they will continue to press the Legislature for clearer funding of mandated tuition programs and seek philanthropic support where appropriate.
