The University of Akron under President R.J. Nemer is laser-focused on cutting costs and balancing its budget, part of his four-year financial plan.
The first step? Voluntary faculty buyouts and reducing the number of majors offered at the university, a contentious process that raised the ire of some faculty and students but already has saved the university just under $3 million.
Now, the university will take its next financial step by raising costs and fees across the campus. Most of the costs will be paid by students, but some will trickle down to employees.
Notably, undergraduate tuition will increase, although it’s unclear by how much. The state government will determine the amount in its next budget, which is slated to allow universities to increase tuition rates by up to 4%. The budget must be approved by July 1.
Until the state budget is finalized, undergraduate tuition rates will remain in flux.
That increase will be compounded by an expected increase in enrollment. While the numbers won’t be finalized until the fall semester begins, Nemer said he expects double-digit gains in student enrollment, with many of the gains coming from students pursuing advanced degrees and others transferring to UA.
It’s a marked improvement in enrollment numbers, which have fallen for decades before stabilizing following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s every price hike at UA — excluding undergraduate tuition rate — expected next fall
- General Graduate Tuition Rate: Will increase from $462.50 to $482.75 per credit hour (4.4% increase).
- Master of Public Health (consortium rate): Increases from $698 to $715 per credit hour (2.4% increase).
- Law Professional Degree: Increases from $30 to $40 per credit hour.
- Employee Parking Permit: Increases from $348 to $404 annually (16% increase).
- Student Parking Permit: Increases from $236 to $248 per semester (5% increase).
- Summer housing — eight weeks: Rises from $1,232 to $1,355 (10% increase).
- Winter break housing: From $420 to $500.
- Conference room rates on university property (per person per night):
- Increases will range from $4 to $7 per night, depending on room type and occupant status (internal vs. external).
- Cleaning, cancellation and emergency service fees: Increases 20% to 60%, e.g. cleaning charges from $20 to $30, tampering with fire equipment now includes a penalty of $800 (up from $500).
- University Commitment Fee (new students): From $145 to $150.
- Health Services (pysical exam): From $20 to $35.
- Speech-Language and Audiology Clinic Services: Multiple evaluation and therapy rates raised — some by 20% to 40% — to reflect updated service costs and standards.
Nemer: ‘Trending significantly better’
“Right now what I would say is we are trending significantly better than we have in a number of years,” Nemer told the Beacon Journal, “and showing positive trends that we haven’t seen since pre-COVID.”
In fall of 2013, the university had a student population of more than 27,000, according to UA statistics. By the fall of this past year, that number had dropped to just below 15,000, where it has hovered since 2022.
The university will also pull about $14 million from its reserves to balance its budget for the next academic year, leaving about $131 million in the account. This is enough for the university to avoid running afoul of state guidelines that dictate how much a public university has to have on hand.