JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Board of Trustees voted on a roughly 3% tuition and fee increase on Friday as part of an ongoing push for faculty and staff raises.
A release from ETSU’s marketing department said the tuition increase will result in in-state students paying around an additional $138 each. That jump, school officials said, will support a proposed 5% raise for educators proposed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R).
The tuition increase was approved by a unanimous vote.
“Tuition and housing prices at ETSU are among the few expenses that haven’t increased over the past year,” ETSU president Dr. Brian Noland said. “Meanwhile, everything from eggs to utilities to rent has skyrocketed. Helping our employees financially is among our top priorities for this institution, but we do not want to simply shift that burden to our students. We have committed to limiting tuition increases as much as possible and making up for any gaps through operational efficiencies.”
The increase comes after tuition freezes in 2020 and 2022 which school leaders said prevented additional burdens on students during the deepest impacts of COVID-19.
