Public colleges would be able to charge students more money under the Ohio Senate’s new budget plan.
Current state law requires Ohio’s 14 four-year universities to adhere to a cap on tuition and fee rate increases set by lawmakers for each new first-year class. That amount stays flat for that group for four years, allowing them to plan and pay for classes.
Under the Senate’s proposal, this cap could rise to 4% for students beginning in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. Budget proposals from both Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and House lawmakers call for keeping it at the current rate of 3%.
Ohioans paid an average of $10,900 in tuition and fees for one year at a state university, according to the most recently available federal data.
The Senate’s proposal also would impact those attending the state’s 22 community colleges. The plan would allow schools to increase the amount of money students pay for instructional and general fees by up to $10 per credit hour. That’s double the rate DeWine and House lawmakers included in their respective budget plans.
Columbus State Community College, the state’s largest two-year public, charges about $183 per credit hour. It amounts to nearly $5,500 for a full academic year.
All three state budget proposals call for boosting the Ohio College Opportunity Grant. That provides money to the state’s poorest students, which could help offset potential increases.
Many of the state’s public colleges continue to deal with enrollment declines, changing demographics, and a shifting public view on higher education – all of which can mean fewer tuition dollars flowing into institutions.
But lots of college students are also dealing with their own financial struggles. Nationwide, the average student at a public university takes out about $32,000 in student loans to pay for a bachelor’s degree. That’s nearly four times higher than what graduates owed in 1990.
Now, state senators and representatives must work together to agree on a final version of their combined proposals. They’ll then send it to DeWine, who must sign it by June 30.
Senate calls for slight boost to State Share of Instruction
Getting more money in this budget cycle was a big priority for college leaders. Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey asked university presidents to hold off on any potential tuition increases until lawmakers finalized the budget, according to public records Signal Ohio requested and reviewed.
“This kind of action can…offend the sensibilities of the legislature when it occurs before the budget has officially become law,” he wrote in a March 4 letter. “It typically results in media coverage.”
The lobbying group backing the state’s four-year universities specifically asked senators for that 3% tuition cap to be removed. It would help institutions “properly maintain necessary goods and services” amid rising inflation costs, Inter-University Council president and CEO Laura Lanese told lawmakers last month.
They also wanted an increase in funding through the funding formula called the State Share of Instruction (or SSI). The bulk of taxpayer money public higher education institutions receive is determined through that calculation. It’s largely based on student outcomes.
House lawmakers’ budget proposal included a 2% bump – smaller than the current rate of inflation – to the SSI. Lobbyists for the universities wanted senators to do the same. State support in Ohio has decreased over the past few decades.
In the end, Senate lawmakers chose to give less funding than House lawmakers – but a higher amount than the governor’s flat year-over-year proposal.
