Auburn trustees voted Friday to freeze undergraduate tuition for the first time in 30 years.
Students and parents continue to face financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university said in a news release, and a bump in state appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year allowed the school to consider the move.
Undergraduate tuition will remain at $5,898 per semester for Alabama residents and $15,978 for out-of-state students, spokesman Mike Clardy confirmed after the vote.
Trustees typically approve a roughly 2% bump each year, about in line with rising tuition costs elsewhere in the country.
The university did decide to increase a mental health fee slightly by $5, as a result of more students using resources on campus. Officials say the additional fees may fund two new staff members who can help provide mental health services.
Auburn, which modified its fall offerings but returned to a mostly in-person spring semester, has nearly 31,000 students.
The Board of Trustees also agreed to a $30 increase in the student services fee, which is currently $858, as well as a 2% increase in housing rates at Auburn and AUM.
Auburn last increased its housing rate in fall 2020 and AUM last did in fall 2015, according to the school.
The University of Alabama System is expected to consider its tuition rates at its June meeting. The system earlier this month approved slight increases for some of its medical professional programs.
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