Brown University Increases Tuition, Raises Faculty and Staff Salaries

• Faculty and staff salaries, undergraduate tuition, and most master's and doctoral program costs are increasing by 4.5%.
• The university is increasing tuition to combat inflation and raising salaries to reward and retain employees.
• Brown offers free tuition to students from families making $125,000 or less per year and all expense coverage for students from families making less than $60,000 per year.

Brown University is increasing undergraduate, graduate, and medical school tuition next year and giving faculty and staff the largest salary raise since 2009.

Brown announced Feb. 12 that it decided to increase the tuition and salaries after considering the expansion of the university's financial aid initiatives and electing to reward and retain talented employees, respectively.

"Our ongoing priority as we consider challenging budget decisions is to keep costs manageable for students, through measured tuition increases and additional financial aid, while ensuring the growth of revenue to invest in our faculty and staff, who make fulfillment of our mission of teaching and research possible," Provost Francis J. Doyle III said in the school's press release.

Increases:

• Faculty and staff salary pool: 4.5%
• Undergraduate tuition: 4.5%
• Most master's and doctoral programs: 4.5%
• Medical school tuition: 2.75%

The increases in tuition and fees will help Brown cope with increased operating costs due to inflation.

Brown also increased some fees. The student recreation fee, for example, will rise from $80 to $90 to eliminate direct charges for group fitness classes and intramural sports and to expand offerings. Brown also increased the undergraduate student activities fee to keep participation in large events like Spring Weekend and Senior Week free.

While the cost of undergraduate tuition will increase, Brown's undergraduate financial aid budget is projected to grow from $13 million to $15 million. Doyle said it's important for the university to double down on efforts to enroll and support students from different economic backgrounds regardless of financial need.

Brown is one of many schools offering free tuition for students from families making under a certain amount.

Brown offers a free tuition scholarship to students from families making $125,000 or less, while students from families making less than $60,000 a year receive aid covering all expenses, including tuition, room, board, and books.

Brown also plans to expand its need-blind admissions in the next admissions cycle for the class of 2029 international undergraduates. Need-blind admissions do not factor applicants' abilities to pay for education in admissions decisions.

California State University (CSU) is employing a strategy similar to Brown's by increasing aid to coincide with increased tuition.

Last year, CSU trustees approved a 6% tuition increase over five years, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year. This month, the university system announced students with financial need will receive a stipend of up to $5,000 for expenses like food, housing, and transportation.