The University System of Maryland Board of Regents passed increases in tuition and mandatory fees across its 12 member institutions, including the University of Maryland, on Friday.
Tuition at this university is set to increase by 4 percent for in-state undergraduate students and 2 percent for out-of-state undergraduates. Mandatory fees at this university are set to increase by 4.5 percent for both Maryland residents and non-residents, according to meeting documents.
Implementing these increases would bring total in-state costs for full-time undergraduate students at this university from $11,809 to $12,290 and total out-of-state costs from $41,186 to $42,053.
This university also plans to increase tuition by 4 percent for in-state graduate students and 2 percent for out-of-state graduate students.
The changes could increase the system’s tuition and fee revenue by approximately 3 percent for the 2026 fiscal year.
The tuition and fee increases came after the board passed the university system’s 2026 fiscal year operating budget earlier in Friday’s meeting.
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The budget, which was previously approved by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly, includes a 7 percent cut in base operating appropriations, university system administration and finance vice chancellor Ellen Herbst said during the meeting.
Discussions about how the operating budget cuts will impact individual universities will be facilitated by institution presidents, university system Chancellor Jay Perman said in a video statement released to staff and faculty across the system on Thursday.
This university sought the tuition increase after it learned of funding cuts during the budget preparation process, according to an email sent by administration to university community members Friday. This university’s funding was reduced by $59 million, the email read.
Maryland lawmakers first announced the university system’s budget would receive a 5 percent funding cut in January as part of the state’s efforts to tackle its budget shortfall. This university first made $42 million in cuts by reducing the number of contractual and hourly employees, not filling recently-vacated positions and spending less on expenses including travel and consulting, administrators wrote in the Friday email.
But while this university crafted its budget plan for the upcoming year, it received an additional $17 million funding cut.
Administrators made the “difficult decision” to raise tuition and not offer merit increases for non-bargaining university employees, they wrote.
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Maryland entered the 2025 legislative session with a $3 billion budget deficit for the 2026 fiscal year, resulting in Moore’s initial proposed drop in university system funding, The Diamondback reported in February. In his budget highlights for the upcoming fiscal year, Moore attributed the deficit to increased state spending and slow economic growth prior to his term.
The approved university system budget includes funding from state appropriations, tuition and fees, auxiliary services, federal grants and contracts and other revenues, according to budget documents.
The tuition changes reflect the board’s “ongoing commitment to affordability while supporting institutional financial stability and ensuring transparency in the tuition-setting process,” according to meeting documents.
The board continues to carefully track potential financial impacts of federal action to the university system, Herbst said, including monitoring changes to federal financial aid and student eligibility to attend their universities.
“We are going to come out the other side strong because we’re going into it strong,” Herbst said. “We just have to manage.”
Assistant news editor Sam Gauntt contributed reporting.
